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Quality health care for people with Medicare is a high priority for President Bush, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In November 2001, HHS announced the Quality Initiative to assure quality health care for all Americans through accountability and public disclosure. The Quality Initiative touches every aspect of the healthcare system. The Quality Initiative was launched nationally in 2002 with the Nursing Home Quality Initiative (NHQI), and expanded in 2003 with the Home Health Quality Initiative (HHQI) and the Hospital Quality Initiative (HQI). In 2004, the Physician Focused Quality Initiative, which includes the Doctor's Office Quality Project, was developed. In 2004, the Quality Initiative was expanded to officially include kidney dialysis facilities; the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Initiative promotes ongoing CMS strategies to improve the quality of care provided to ESRD patients. In 2005, CMS announced the launch of the Physician Voluntary Reporting Program to begin in 2006. Partnerships are a key feature of all Quality Initiatives and can include federal and State partners, researchers and academic experts, external stakeholder and consumer organizations, federal contractors, providers and advocates. Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) will assist Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers by promoting the availability of the quality measures, helping to ensure that they understand what the measures mean, and encouraging them to use the measures as a part of their health care decision making process. QIOs will achieve this by working through community, business, and health care organizations, as well as through local media. The Quality Initiative also relies on the support of State survey agencies and CMS for ongoing regulation and enforcement of quality standards. For more information on QIOs or CMS survey and certification activities, see the related sections below. During 2005, CMS contracted with the Division of Health Care Policy and Research at the University of Colorado to review assessment approaches that could be used across post-acute settings to reduce care fragmentation and unsafe transitions, and to compare outcomes and costs for patients discharged to post acute care. As a result, the report entitled 'Uniform Patient Assessment for Post Acute Care Final Report' and standalone executive summary, completed in 2006 are now downloadable to the public on CMS website. It should be noted that the content of this report does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services nor does mention of any trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Post Acute Care Reform Plan Over the past year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) developed a plan to improve Medicare's payment for post-acute care services and the coordination of these services. The plan reviewed current industry practices and established overarching principles and a vision for post-acute care reform. Post-acute care is care that is provided to individuals who need additional help recuperating from an acute illness or serious medical procedure. Check the Related Links Inside CMS section below for more information.
Page Last Modified: 08/24/2007 11:46:15 AM
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