As you may have heard, the Great Plains Quality Innovation Network is part of the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) program, funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). At this time, CMS is working to identify priority areas for the QIO program going forward. Therefore, we are entering a transition period.
We will continue to work as the Quality Innovation Network – Quality Improvement Organization in a limited capacity during the transition period. We anticipate the next contract cycle to begin late Summer/early Fall. We will have a team of quality improvement members available to assist during this interim. We are currently in the process of identifying education and resources that will assist the healthcare provider community in preparation. We hope to communicate more on specific offerings in the coming weeks.
As we look forward to new challenges and opportunities, we reflect on the successes and improvements made over the past five years. We look forward to sharing our team members’ responses to questions related to our work, partnerships and contributions over the next few weeks:
What is One of the Biggest Contributors to Success?
“The biggest contributor to our success in promoting the state diabetes self-management workshops in our state was relationship building. The Better Choices Better Health program was in its infancy and was just building infrastructure. To be successful in our work, we needed to gain the trust of the program license holder. They were somewhat hesitant, given the data requirements of the task, so frequent meetings and laying the groundwork for our collaboration was imperative and finally successful. We focused our conversations on our shared vision. This past year, we were awarded ‘Partner of the Year’ for the Better Choices Better Health Program.” – Denise Kolba, MS, RN, CNS
“I think the biggest contributor to our overall success is the willingness of those we recruit to work with us, identify those best practices and implement those changes that sometimes aren’t very easy to implement. Their dedication, commitment and follow through is key to the successes that we see in the Great Plains. THANK YOU to those that show up, participate and contribute to the better safety and well-being of the patients we serve.”
-Nancy McDonald, BSN, RN, CPHQ.
We recently published a Q&A Session with CMS Program Leaders as they reflected on the progress made and the evolution they see ahead—for the QIO Program. Read more.
We thank you for your partnership, your commitment to quality and your continued efforts to improve care. Also, we thank you for your patience and support as we navigate through this transition period. We will continue to share news, updates and resources in the coming weeks. If you have questions or anything we can assist with in the interim, please contact a member of our team.