Dear Reader

When it comes to the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) “walks the talk.” We do not just hold QIOs accountable for improving health care where there is the greatest need to do so. We also hold ourselves accountable for effective program management.

The QIO Program leadership team set clear objectives and established evaluation measures before the current contract period began in August 2008. Clinical and scientific staff identified evidence-based interventions for QIOs to implement. Project officers assessed QIO performance on an ongoing basis and took immediate corrective action when needed.

The results of the midpoint evaluation at the contract’s 18-month mark speak for themselves. Nationwide, 94 percent of 503 quality improvement projects QIOs conducted with health care providers met or exceeded our performance targets. The QIO Program is on track to achieve ambitious goals by August 2011 that include — but are not limited to — reducing pressure ulcers and physical restraints in nursing homes; decreasing MRSA infection and transmission in hospitals; and increasing influenza and pneumonia immunizations in primary care practices.

This is a milestone in the history of the QIO Program for both CMS and QIOs. It is evidence of a new kind of partnership, one in which shared goals, clear communication and mutual accountability make each of us stronger. In this issue of QIO News, you will find articles that explore the benefits of partnership, including those CMS and QIOs have with national and local health care stakeholders.

It is clear to me that together, we can achieve far more, for far more patients, than we can on our own. I hope that the QIO Program’s interim results and these stories will inspire you to create partnerships that expand the impact of your health care quality improvement efforts.

Barry M. Straube, M.D.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Chief Medical Officer and Director, Office of Clinical Standards and Quality