In November 2002, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, launched the national Nursing Home Quality Initiative (NHQI). As the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for New York State, IPRO has been charged by CMS with helping New York nursing homes improve the quality of care they provide to their residents.
The Nursing Home Quality Initiative has two major components:
Throughout the three-year Medicare 7th Scope of Work, many New York facilities significantly improved the care they provide to residents by taking advantage of these materials and the support of IPRO's NHQI staff. We are pleased to report that New York ranked among the most successful states during this period.
IPRO's contract with CMS was renewed, and on August 1, 2005 we began our 8th Scope of Work activities. As the Medicare QIO for New York State, IPRO is working with all New York nursing homes, as well as a smaller group of homes called an Identified Participant Group (IPG), on an expanded NHQI.
We are working to improve performance on the clinical topics of high-risk pressure ulcers, chronic pain, depression, and restraints, setting improvement targets, and measuring the nursing home experience.
Setting targets allows providers to establish internal quality improvement goals and measure improvement by incorporating publicly reported data into their internal quality improvement efforts. To facilitate target setting, IPRO staff members are helping nursing homes utilize the "Setting Targets-Achieving Results" (STAR) Web-based tool.
IPRO continues its commitment to providing New York State's nursing homes with tools, materials and skills they can use to develop and implement successful Quality Improvement programs.