Federal payment policy aimed at reducing hospital readmissions for key conditions hasn‘t resulted in a demonstrable increase in the use of “observation stays,” according to new research published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Critics of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), have posited that penalties for readmissions of Medicare patients with acute myocardial… Continue Reading
IPRO Renews Early Intervention Contract
IPRO has obtained a new, five-year contract to conduct statewide quality assurance activities for Early Intervention service providers and municipalities in New York. IPRO‘s team monitors therapeutic and support services provided to eligible infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. The IPRO team successfully renewed its contract with the State of New York for… Continue Reading
IPRO Annual Meeting Registration Now Open
John Black, one of the nation‘s leading authorities on the Lean methodology for enhancing healthcare quality and efficiency, will be a featured speaker at IPRO‘s 32nd Annual Membership Meeting, to be held Tuesday June 7 at the New York LaGuardia Airport Marriott Hotel in East Elmhurst, NY. Formerly Director of Lean Manufacturing at Boeing Commercial… Continue Reading
Feds Produce Interactive Disparities Mapping Tool
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released an online, interactive Medicare mapping device that permits users to compare geographic, racial and ethnic disparities for 18 chronic conditions as well as spending, hospitalizations, readmissions and mortality. Produced for CMS’ Office of Minority Health (OMH), by KPMG and NORC at the University of Chicago,… Continue Reading
Senate Examines Diabetes Coverage
Congress should consider changing Medicare eligibility requirements to permit diabetes self-management training (DSMT) for individuals at risk of developing the disease, according to a new paper published by a work group of the Senate Finance Committee. Currently Medicare Part B DSMT coverage is available for individuals with diabetes but not for those at risk of… Continue Reading
QIO Program Brand Recognition Improving
In a just-released survey of healthcare experts, nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%) describe the QIO program as useful in improving quality, up slightly from findings in 2014. Survey participants included healthcare providers and beneficiary advocates as well as government representatives and thought leaders drawn from health quality groups across the U.S. Conducted by Virginia-based Sage… Continue Reading
Feds Outlines Challenges in Payment Reform
A new paper developed for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) outlines the challenges the government faces in implementing a new approach to physician payment under the Medicare program—scheduled to begin in 2019. Under a law passed earlier this year, CMS is required to develop quality measures in all medical specialties to transition… Continue Reading
New Report Cites Harms Reductions
A new report from a federal agency that monitors healthcare quality in the U.S. is documenting substantial gains in the effort to reduce patient harm in hospitals across the nation. The report just released by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), shows dramatic reductions in key indicators like adverse drug events, pressure… Continue Reading
IPRO Wins Four ESRD QI Contracts
IPRO has won four regional End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Network quality improvement contracts to support dialysis patients, families and providers in 13 states across the U.S. IPRO will be responsible for Network 1 (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts); Network 2 (New York); Network 6 (North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia –… Continue Reading
End of Life Planning Program Focusing on Long Island
The IPRO-led Atlantic Quality Innovation Network (AQIN) has initiated a project aimed at educating the public and providers on advance care planning that empowers seniors facing end of life. AQIN will provide technical support to hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, hospices, emergency medical services, and physician practices on Long Island for adoption, training… Continue Reading