IPRO Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Harry M. Feder, MPA, has been named to the Board of Directors of URAC, the nationally recognized healthcare accreditation organization. “We’re delighted to welcome Harry to our Board of Directors,” said Alan P. Spielman, URAC President and CEO. “We know we will benefit from his experience and… Continue Reading
IPRO Physician Reviewer Honored as Trustee
Congratulations to IPRO Physician Reviewer Calvin J. Simons, MD, FACP, winner of the United Hospital Fund’s 2011 Distinguished Trustee Award. Dr Simons was recognized for his service to The Brooklyn Hospital Center, where he is Chair of the Quality Assurance Committee as well as a member of the Executive, Academic Affairs, Audit and Corporate Compliance… Continue Reading
Feds Propose Easy Access to Medicare Performance Data
Qualified researchers would have ready access to a wealth of Medicare performance information, under a proposed rule issued June 8th by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Issued under authority granted by the Affordable Care Act, the proposed rule would cover disclosure of fee-for-service claims information representing services provided by hospitals (inpatient and… Continue Reading
Former Federal Official Examines U.S. Reform Law
Three new entities created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA)-the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB)-offer “a powerful constellation in theory,” according to Peter Orszag, Vice Chair of Global Banking at Citigroup and former Director of the White House’s Office of Management and… Continue Reading
Government Announces New Patient Safety Initiative
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation has announced it will soon award multiple contracts to Hospital Engagement Contractors (HECs) charged with assisting acute-care institutions in enhancing patient safety. The Administration says it is making up to $500 million available for this effort, which is part of the larger Partnership for Patients that was announced… Continue Reading
Healthcare technology expert William Winkenwerder, Jr, MD, MBA will keynote IPRO’s 27th Annual Membership Meeting June 7th at the LaGuardia Marriott Hotel in East Elmhurst, NY
Formerly principal medical advisor to the Secretary of Defense, where he managed the international TRICARE system, Winkenwerder led implementation of a new worldwide electronic health record system, as well as the merger of Walter Reed Army and Bethesda Naval Medical Centers. Now Chairman of The Winkenwerder Company, he serves on the Boards of AthenaHealth, Inc.,… Continue Reading
IPRO Authors Examine Care Transitions
“The global re-hospitalization rate of a community reflects the cumulative quality of care provided across diverse settings and providers,” say the IPRO Care Transitions Team quality improvement professionals in a new article published in the May/June 2011 edition of Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare. Noting that nearly 20% of all hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries are re-admitted… Continue Reading
IPRO Manager Leads Reviewer Organization
Terese Giorgio, BSN, MA, LNC, IPRO’s Senior Director of Corporate Programs, has been elected to a two-year term as President of the National Association of Independent Review Organizations (NAIRO). Dedicated to protecting the integrity of the independent medical review process, NAIRO was formed in 2001. Its membership now includes more than 20 accredited IROs, all… Continue Reading
Feds Create Partnership Coalition
IPRO has joined an ambitious national patient safety initiative spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Partnership for Patients is a coalition including leaders from hospitals, employers, physicians, nurses, government and patient advocacy in a shared effort to make hospital care safer, more reliable, and less costly. The two goals of… Continue Reading
Report Addresses Costly Non-Urgent Care
The national network of Federally-funded Community Health Centers is essential to preventing the misuse of hospital emergency departments, according to a new report from the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO). The report estimates that 8 percent of the 117 million emergency room visits that took place in 2007 were classified as non-urgent-with the cost… Continue Reading