QIOs in Action

CDC Recognizes AQAF for Influenza Prevention Efforts

AQAF, Alabama’s QIO, received an Excellence in Partnering Award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The award recognizes AQAF for improving influenza vaccination rates and reducing the health impact of influenza. The QIO was honored at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Honor Awards Ceremony.

Iowa Foundation for Medical Care Becomes Telligen

The organization that serves as the QIO for Iowa and Illinois has recently changed its name from the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care (IFMC) to Telligen. Jeff Chungath, president and CEO, said that the new name, “better reflects our ability to combine extensive clinical and technical expertise to intelligently solve our clients' complex healthcare challenges - what we call ‘Healthcare Intelligence’."

Quality Partners of Rhode Island Changes Name to Healthcentric Advisors

Rhode Island’s QIO has changed its name from Quality Partners of Rhode Island to Healthcentric Advisors. The QIO hopes the new name will better align its brand and reputation with its expanding national customer base outside Rhode Island. Healthcentric Advisors was chosen because it highlights the patient-centered focus of the organization. The QIO added the positioning line, “Advancing Healthcare Quality,” to reinforce that quality improvement is still an important element of what they do.

Health Care Quality Strategies Inc. Helps Develop Universal Transfer Form to Improve Patient Safety

Health Care Quality Strategies Inc., the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for New Jersey, is part of a taskforce that has developed a one-page standardized transfer form for nursing home patients, which healthcare facilities statewide are required to use as of October 30. The Universal Transfer Form (UTF) is a real-time clinical record that will travel with a nursing home patient throughout transitions of care. The UTF will include vital signs, diagnoses, medications, allergies and respiratory needs. “Accurate patient information at the time of transfer allows staff to begin caring for a patient upon arrival, improving patient care, reducing medical errors and streamlining the admission process,” said New Jersey Health and Senior Services Commissioner Mary E. O’Dowd.

Tennessee QIO Works With Community Stakeholders to Reduce Hospital Readmissions

Qsource, the QIO for Tennessee, is engaging community stakeholders to share innovative approaches for improving care coordination and to identify root causes of the variations found in hospital readmissions data. Medicare spent $71 million in 2009 on readmissions in the Memphis, Tenn. area, including more than $9 million on just 218 high-needs Memphis-area patients with four or more hospital readmissions. Communities are responding by forming partnerships across the state to improve transitions of care in their areas. Functioning as a community, stakeholders are better able to deliver high value health care to residents, improving the health of the workforce and reducing costs to existing and potential employers.

HealthInsight Launches Online Tool to Compare Utah Provider Quality

HealthInsight, the QIO for Nevada, New Mexico and Utah, has developed a web-based directory that allows users to compare providers on customer service and performance. UtahHealthScape is a free tool and is open to the public in Utah. The directory aims to provide consumers with objective and reliable data on hospitals, doctors and health insurance companies. "UtahHealthScape is a first step in making the healthcare system more transparent to consumers, and it is my hope that it will help people in making more informed decisions about their health care," said Christie North, vice president of programs at HealthInsight. Visit the site: http://www.utahhealthscape.org.

Illinois Group Selected for Federal Care Transitions Program

CJE SeniorLife, formerly the Council for Jewish Elderly, is one of seven U.S. groups selected to receive funding from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation for the Community-Based Care Transitions Program. Under the two-year agreement, the Chicago-based organization will form partnerships with several groups, including Illinois’ Quality Improvement Organization (QIO), the Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care. The goal of the federal care transitions program is to reduce avoidable hospital readmissions through broad-based local efforts to improve discharge planning and help patients manage chronic conditions.