Quality Innovation Network Contract Awarded
Lincoln, NE (PRWEB) July 23, 2014 -- The Kansas Foundation for Medical Care, CIMRO of Nebraska, North Dakota Health Care Review, Inc., and the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care recently aligned to form a new not-for-profit organization - the Great Plains Quality Innovation Network (QIN). Today, the newly-formed Great Plains QIN is pleased to announce our award of the CMS contract to serve as the Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization for the states of Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
The formation of the Great Plains QIN reflects changes to legislation that impacts the structure of the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) program. The program has been split into two separate contract structures – one for medical case review, performed by Beneficiary Family Centered Care QIOs (BFCC-QIOs) and one for quality improvement and technical assistance QIOs, performed by Quality Innovation Network QIOs (QIN-QIOs).
While the new QIN-QIO structure requires a multi-state regional approach, much of the work will continue to be carried out on a statewide level. Each of the four Great Plains QIN partners will continue to work with providers in each state to offer quality improvement expertise and technical assistance. Each QIN state partner will also offer tailored education, tools and resources and will work with healthcare providers and the community to implement data-driven quality initiatives. Through these efforts, we intend to improve patient safety, reduce harm and improve clinical care at the local and regional levels. The alliance also offers greater opportunities to collaborate with and learn from providers across state lines while maintaining access to local resources.
Specifically, each QIN-QIO will work on strategic initiatives, such as reducing healthcare-associated infections; reducing readmissions and medication errors; working with nursing homes to improve care for residents; supporting clinical practices in using interoperable health information technology to enable the exchange of essential health information to improve the coordination of care; promoting prevention activities, reducing cardiac disease and diabetes; reducing healthcare disparities and improving patient and family engagement. QIN-QIOs will also provide technical assistance for improvement in CMS value based purchasing programs, including the physician value based modifier program.
Tina Georgy, Chief Executive Officer of Great Plains QIN, stated, “We are very pleased to receive this competitive award. Each of the four Great Plains QIN state partners share a commitment to improving quality of care and working to ensure that all patients receive the right care, at the right time, every time. Working together within a four-state network, each organization will continue their focus on improving care in conjunction with state partners, while pooling resources and common elements into an organization that can best serve the needs of healthcare providers and Medicare beneficiaries across the Great Plains region.”
The Great Plains QIN will oversee the administration of the CMS contract throughout the four-state region. The Kansas Foundation for Medical Care, CIMRO of Nebraska, the North Dakota Health Care Review, Inc. and the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care will each serve as subcontractors.
Keri McDermott, CIMRO of Nebraska, +1 (515) 986-3966, [email protected]
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