The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) kicked off its annual health care quality conference, QualityNet, in Baltimore on Dec. 2, 2014 by celebrating recent health care quality accomplishments and urging attendees to accelerate the pace of improvement.
Honorary guest speaker Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the 22nd secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services, thanked Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs), Hospital Engagement Networks, providers and other stakeholders for helping improve patient safety. Citing data from anewly released report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Burwell estimated that nearly 50,000 fewer Americans lost their lives between 2010 and 2013 due to a reduction in hospital-acquired conditions.