Administrative Memos

200604

FROM: Theodore O. Will, Chief Executive Officer
DATE: Oct 12, 2006
SUBJECT: Setting Targets Achieving Results (STAR)
IPRO CONTACTS:

Pauline Kinney, R.N., M.A., L.N.H.A., Director - NHQI, extension 402

IPRO, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for New York State has entered into the second year of the 8th Scope of Work (SOW) Nursing Home Quality Initiative. As part of the 8th SOW, CMS requires IPRO to work with ALL nursing homes on specific tasks. One of the most significant responsibilities is to assist facilities with setting improvement targets on an annual basis for specific Quality Measures (QMs).

The Setting Targets-Achieving Results (STAR) initiative is a nationwide program to help nursing homes (NHs) set targets for the chronic pain, high-risk pressure ulcer, depression, and restraint Quality Measures (QMs).

Setting targets allows providers to establish internal quality improvement goals and to measure improvement by incorporating publicly reported data into internal quality improvement efforts. To facilitate target setting, IPRO staff has reached out to nursing homes throughout the state via our newsletter, STAR information instruction mailings, regional meetings, and postings to the ipro.org/nhqi web site.

In year one of the 8th SOW, over 54% of the NHs in New York State have visited the

www.nhqi-star.org (STAR) web site, and set profiles/targets for improvement. Many homes are well on their way to achieving/exceeding their chosen rate of improvement. Across the 4 quality measures, 31% of nursing homes, which set targets, either met or exceeded the target in year one of the project.

Since target setting is an annual occurrence, it is time once again to visit the STAR web site, and set your facility's profile and targets. If you have established an initial target for the quality measures in 2005 and choose to stay with the preferred method and improvement rate previously set, you must re-set the same method and rate to establish your 2006 targets.

If you have any questions or need help with STAR please feel free to call any member of the IPRO Nursing Home Quality Initiative (NHQI) team or refer to the enclosed attachments for additional information.

We look forward to hearing from you and assisting with your target setting and quality improvement activities.