Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality Awarded Federal Funding for Health Care Quality Improvement Programs

Oklahoma City, OK (October 9, 2008) – Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality (OFMQ) was awarded $3.2 million by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to support operations of a nationwide program to improve patient safety and health care quality. The company also announced it was recently selected to perform development work to advance the use of quality measures for evaluating hospital performance and assist Medicare in redesigning its payment system.

The national patient safety program assists America’s nursing homes and hospitals in improving care in such areas such as preventing the spread of MRSA, reducing bed sores and physical restraint use and improving prescription drug safety and care for surgery and heart patients. The program provides clinical and analytic expertise and other resources to health care providers who volunteer to participate.

“We are pleased to contribute our expertise to this nationwide effort to improve patient care,” said Dale Bratzler, D.O., M.P.H., president and chief executive officer of OMFQ. “In addition to the hands on work we do with Oklahoma health care providers to improve care in our state, this work increases visibility and credibility for Oklahoma and the resources we have here to be participating at this level.”

OFMQ is increasing its focus on the development of quality measures used by payers to evaluate health care services. Medicare, for example, publishes quality data, patient satisfaction information, death rates and more on its Hospital Compare website, www.medicare.gov, and will ultimately base hospital payment on performance. Similarly, information on nursing home and home health care quality is available online. OFMQ, an OKC-based non profit has contributed to measures development on a national level since 1999.

“This is a great opportunity to play a role in the move toward greater accountability and transparency in health care,” said Bratzler. “As more information on performance is available to consumers and other payers, providers have more incentive to improve. In Oklahoma, we want to see higher quality health care,” he added.

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About Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality
Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality (OFMQ) is a not-for-profit health care quality improvement organization (QIO) dedicated to improving health care and improving lives. For over 35 years, OFMQ has played an integral role in ensuring quality medical services through health care review, quality improvement projects and public education. Working in partnership with physicians, hospitals, nursing homes and other health organizations, we provide expert consulting for clinical and organizational quality improvement. Based in Oklahoma City, we serve providers and consumers throughout the state, and we contribute expertise and resources to advance health care quality improvement through national-level initiatives. OFMQ holds contracts with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. www.ofmq.com

This material was created by Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for the state of Oklahoma, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health of Health and Human Services. Contents do not necessarily reflect CMS policy. OFMQ-752-OK-1008

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Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality Awarded Federal Funding for Health Care Quality Improvement Programs