The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is conducting brief surveys to inform the program evaluation of quality improvement support provided by the CMS-funded Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organizations (QIN-QIO) and Hospital Quality Improvement Contractors (HQIC) to hospitals, nursing homes and outpatient clinicians¹ under the Network of Quality Improvement and Innovation Contractors (NQIIC). The survey will be conducted among facilities that serve Medicare beneficiaries as part of CMS’ efforts to improve the quality of care for people with Medicare. CMS has partnered with Booz Allen Hamilton and their survey partner, The HENNE Group (THG), to conduct this data collection effort. The data collection supports evaluation of the technical assistance provided by both the QIN-QIOs to nursing homes and outpatient community-based settings, and HQICs to support hospitals.

The hospital-directed telephone survey focuses on both hospitals that received quality improvement technical assistance from CMS-funded HQIC contractors as well as hospitals that did not receive this assistance. The hospital survey aims to understand:

• The extent to which hospitals attribute quality improvement outcomes to HQIC assistance;
• Hospitals’ satisfaction with HQIC assistance;
• Reasons for not participating with an HQIC, when applicable, or for having low engagement; and
• The resources used for quality improvement instead of those provided by HQICs among low- or non-participating hospitals. 

The nursing home-directed telephone survey focuses on both nursing homes that received quality improvement technical assistance from CMS-funded QIN-QIO contractors as well as nursing homes that did not receive this assistance. The nursing home survey aims to understand: 

• The extent to which nursing homes attribute quality improvement outcomes to the QIN-QIO Program assistance;
• Nursing homes’ satisfaction with QIN-QIOs
• The reasons for not participating with a QIN-QIO, when applicable, or for having low engagement; and 
• The resources used for quality improvement instead of those provided by QIN-QIOs among low- or non-participating facilities.

The outpatient clinician-directed online survey focuses on both outpatient clinicians who received quality improvement technical assistance from CMS-funded QIN-QIO contractors in the community setting as well as clinicians who did not receive this assistance. The outpatient clinician survey aims to understand: 

• The extent to which outpatient clinicians’ attribute quality improvement outcomes to the QIN-QIO Program; 
• Clinicians’ satisfaction with QIN-QIOs;
• The reasons for not participating with a QIN-QIO, when applicable, or for having low engagement; and 
• The resources used for quality improvement instead of those provided by QIN-QIOs among low- or non-participating outpatient clinicians.

The nursing home and hospital surveys have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The OMB approval number for this survey is 0938-1424. 

¹OMB approval is pending for the outpatient clinician survey.