While finding substantial progress in narrowing disparities in quality measure performance across the nation, authors of a new federal report are urging more emphasis on data elements that support analysis on the basis of race and ethnicity. The 2015 National Impact Assessment of CMS Quality Measures Report, released by CMS in March finds that discrepancies… Continue Reading
HHS Announces Payment Learning Network
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched a new virtual learning network aimed at increasing the use of value-based purchasing and alternative payment models. HHS recently announced a goal of tying 30 percent of Medicare fee-for-service payments to quality or value through alternative payment models by 2016, with a goal of… Continue Reading
Business As Usual. And Customary.
Effective April 1, New York State has enacted a new law paving the way for New Yorkers with health care insurance to reduce the number of “surprise” bills. All too often, health care consumers with network coverage find out that the doctor they saw is no longer part of their health plan, or that the… Continue Reading
Feds Find Widespread Support for QIO Activity
A recent survey of hospitals’ attitudes toward Medicare-funded Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) finds widespread support for the technical assistance offered by the groups. The Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a long-awaited report at the end of January 2015 that addresses overlapping responsibilities of three groups… Continue Reading
IPRO Database Builders Seek User Input
IPRO’s eServices Department is seeking input on new features it is considering for the hospital quality improvement website it created and recently took over from The Commonwealth Fund. The website, located at whynotthebest.org, examines the performance of 5,723 hospitals in the U.S. on a variety of cost and quality issues and includes tools and resources… Continue Reading
IPRO Authors Analyze Birth Registry Data
Experts at the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and in IPRO’s Managed Care Department have co-authored an article that takes a critical look at current practices and potential barriers to accurate and complete data collection by birth registrars at hospitals across the state of New York. In a 2013 survey of 127 hospital-based… Continue Reading
IPRO Tools Garner National Attention
Two drug safety tools developed by IPRO quality improvement experts are drawing national attention. The Managing Anticoagulation in the Peri-procedural Period (MAP) tool for hospitals helps clinicians determine when to stop the use of warfarin before surgeries and other invasive procedures. IPRO’s Anticoagulation Discharge Communication (AC-DC) audit tool is used across care settings to maximize communications… Continue Reading
IPRO Experts Get National Recognition
Two tools developed by IPRO quality improvement experts are drawing national attention. The Managing Anticoagulation in the Peri-procedural Period (MAP) tool for hospitals helps clinicians determine when to stop the use of warfarin before surgeries and other invasive procedures. IPRO’s Anticoagulation Discharge Communication (AC-DC) audit tool is used across care settings to maximize communications regarding… Continue Reading
Diabetes Self-Training Seen As Underused
Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that no more than seven percent of recently-diagnosed individuals with diabetes who are privately insured are getting formal self-management training and education. According to Reuters Health, a key CDC researcher who looked at claims data for nearly 100,000 privately-insured adults with diabetes found that… Continue Reading
Physicians Advised to Avoid Payment Reductions
In order to avoid an automatic negative two percent Value Modifier payment adjustment in calendar year (CY) 2016, physicians and other health professionals in groups of ten or more must satisfy the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) requirements as a group or as individuals in CY 2014. Medicare will not apply the CY 2016 Value… Continue Reading