CMS QIO Program Priorities Released

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its official priorities for the QIO program, calling the program a “key component of CMS’ broad agenda to improve care for Medicare beneficiaries.” The Medicare Quality Improvement Organization Program Priorities report provides a comprehensive overview of the QIO program mission and outlines the work of the QIOs under the terms of the current three-year contract. Increasingly, CMS is aligning all of its quality improvement activities to achieve the vision of “the right care for every person every time.” All QIO activity – in hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies and physician offices – is structured around four key strategies: performance measurement and reporting, adoption of health information technology, redesign of care processes and transformation of organizational culture. OFMQ co-authored with CMS sections of this publication pertaining to hospital quality improvement. Download this free publication