The national Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) Program has saved an estimated $400 million in Medicare spending by avoiding hospital readmissions and improving quality of care throughout all healthcare settings.
Great Plains Quality Innovation Network serves as the QIN-QIO for Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
The findings were first announced at the 2018 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Conference. These savings represent more than half of the program’s total allocated funds of $717 million. The savings are a result of work taking place in 387 communities across all 50 states and U.S. territories in which the QIN-QIO Program has partnered. These communities represent 66.2 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries.
“We were thrilled to see the enormity of these savings, but not surprised. Research shows that improving the quality of patient care helps reduce costs over time. These savings further demonstrate that, as well as the strength, breadth and impact of the QIN-QIO program,” said Alison Teitelbaum, executive director of the American Health Quality Association (AHQA). “In an environment where everyone is focused on reducing Medicare spending, our members are doing just that, while at the same time increasing the quality of care for beneficiaries.”
Reducing readmissions is just one of 12 tasks QIN-QIOs are currently addressing under contract to CMS during its five-year contract, ending in 2019. As Medicare’s largest quality improvement infrastructure, Great Plains QIN and other QIN-QIOs work with healthcare providers and communities across the country on data-driven interventions and initiatives to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, economy and quality of services delivered to Medicare beneficiaries.
“GPQIN staff have been travelling across our region, pulling healthcare providers across the spectrum together with a common goal: reducing avoidable hospital readmissions. These community coalitions are reviewing data and utilizing interventions to improve outcomes for our Medicare beneficiaries.” stated Ryan Sailor; Great Plains QIN president and chief operations officer.
Community Based Care Coordination Reports Available
State-specific reports are available on our Web site [under Reports] that include several community-level measures, including 30 day hospital readmission rates and trends, acute care hospitalization rates, hospital discharge rate per location, mortality rate, average length of stay comparison, top 5 DRG bundles and more.
Additional Resources
For more information on the work we do, including efforts to improve care coordination and reduce avoidable hospital readmissions, access the Great Plains QIN Overview document. For other areas where we have experienced success in the past year, access our 2017 Impact Statement.
To learn more about the national QIN-QIO program, visit the CMS page.
The American Health Quality Association (AHQA) is the leading trade association for the QIN-QIO Program.
Source: AHQA Press Release [April 26, 2018]