As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Quality Innovation Network/Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) representing Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, engaging in growth and change is an expectation for Great Plains QIN. Established in 2014, Great Plains QIN is approaching the next phase of organizational growth and has selected additional leadership in preparation.
Ryan Sailor, MBA, was promoted to President/Chief Operating Officer (COO) to provide administrative, financial, and organizational leadership under the guidance of Chief Executive Officer Tina Georgy, RN, MS.
“In the four short years since Great Plains QIN was formed, we’ve made great strides. We were formed from four long-standing independent organizations that did things their own way, using their own tools and approaches,” Sailor recalled. “Today, we’ve learned from one another, streamlined processes and shared what works across the state borders.”
As part of quality improvement work for the past 15 years, Sailor most recently served as the Vice President for the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care (SDFMC) and the Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Director for Great Plains QIN. These pivotal leadership roles allowed him to further develop his expertise in healthcare quality and data reporting. He has worked with many Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data sources including claims data, Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS), Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports (CASPER), hospital quality data and CMS Compare databases.
Primary duties in his new role will include oversight, coordination and operations for all Great Plains QIN programs in addition to assisting with short and long-range planning and serving as the point of contact for CMS IDIQ contract functions and areas.
“The Network of Quality Improvement and Innovation Contractors (NQIIC) umbrella contract proposal is currently underway, and will be the first step to securing future quality improvement contracts with CMS,” explained Sailor.
With a mission to use the collective knowledge and resources of its members to achieve the aims of better healthcare, improved health, safer care and lower healthcare costs, Great Plains QIN has a solid foundation of content expertise, tools and resources to contribute to the continually changing landscape within healthcare.
“I expect our quality improvement work will continue to evolve as the healthcare environment changes, and our efforts will be aligned with the CMS National Quality Strategy priority areas,” Sailor continued. “We have a lot of great, experienced people across Great Plains QIN bringing value to local providers and Medicare beneficiaries with their work every day.”