High Intensity Collaborative Program Leads Hospitals to Reduce Readmission Rates
The Health Quality Innovators (HQI) team recently led a five-month initiative aimed at reducing all-cause hospital-wide readmissions, enhancing equity, improving value and delivering person-centered care.The ASPIRE+ to Reduce Readmissions Series, which wrapped up in May 2022, was designed to provide techniques and strategies relevant to small, rural facilities as well as large, urban facilities…
“Give the BOOST a Shot” Campaign Helps Nursing Homes Improve Booster Vaccination Rates
During the timeframe between January 9 and March 20, 2022, nursing homes participating in an education campaign led by Alliant Health Solutions (Alliant), a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization, demonstrated a 15% or greater increase in resident and/or staff COVID-19 boosters. This increase occurred in the period between…
Alliant Health Solution’s One-on-One Support with Nursing Homes Increase COVID-19 Vaccination Rates for Residents and Staff
Low resident and staff vaccination rates put the most vulnerable at risk.COVID-19 vaccination is the most effective way to prevent infection among people with Medicare, a population that is at high risk of dying from complications caused by the virus. In the summer of 2021, nearly 200 nursing homes in the seven-state region served by Alliant Health Solutions (Alliant), a Centers for Medicare…
Performance Tracking for Quality Assurance
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Great Plains Quality Improvement Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) team worked to promote COVID-19 infection prevention and control best practices. When Great Plains was providing one-on-one technical assistance with nursing homes, the team identified an opportunity to improve how the facilities were using their data to related to COVID-19…
Using Grit to Rebuild a Resilient Workforce
Over the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has stretched many health care professionals to their limits. The pizzas, parties and cheers that were common early in pandemic are no longer enough to ease burnout and address staff shortages. During the 2022 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Conference, Dr. Lee Fleisher, CMS Chief Medical Officer and Director of the Center…
New Hope, New Health: Charting a Path Forward
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2022 Quality Conference virtually brought together nearly 5,000 health care leaders to share and hear promising practices for advancing health care quality, equity and safety at CMS and within the U.S. health care system.CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure introduced a new National Quality Strategy which emphasizes behavioral health,…
Pharmacy Builds Vaccine Confidence by Spreading Culturally Appropriate Information
The Health Quality Innovation Network (HQIN) team partners with health care providers in Kansas, Missouri, South Carolina and Virginia to support their quality improvement efforts. This includes spreading best practices to help others achieve similar successes. One such partner, NOVA ScriptsCentral in Virginia, was recognized with a 2021 Health Quality Innovator of the Year award for tackling…
Telligen QI Connect™ Shares Strategies to Support Vaccine Champions
The Telligen QI Connect™ team, as a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO), partners with nursing homes in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa and Oklahoma to support their quality improvement efforts. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Telligen has equipped vaccine champions within nursing homes with tools and education so…
Improving COVID-19 Vaccine Access and Uptake
Q&A with Donna Thorson, Shannon Finegood and Linda Griskell at Comagine Health COVID-19 vaccine access and uptake has been identified as a challenge for nursing homes. What was your vision and plan to improve vaccine access and uptake? At Comagine Health, we are aiming to increase access to, uptake of and confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine, including the booster, among long-term and…