Team Member Reflections: The Impact
As you may know, 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...
Care Management: A Good Habit for Patient and Provider
Good habits are hard to form and bad habits are hard to break. Even with a strong motive, basic lifestyle changes are a challenge for most people. Individuals newly diagnosed with diabetes face the added layer of monitoring blood sugar levels and/or managing...
Celebrating Five Years of QIO Program Successes
As the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program 11th Scope of Work (SoW) comes to an end, leaders at the Quality Improvement and Innovation Group (QIIG) within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Center for Clinical Standards and Quality...
CDC Publishes Report About Administration of Expired Injectable Influenza Vaccine
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published "Administration of Expired Injectable Influenza Vaccines Reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System" ¹. Every year, injectable inactivated influenza vaccine has a standard expiration date of...
National Nursing Home Quality Improvement Campaign Changes
Passing along pertinent information from the The National Nursing Home Quality Improvement Campaign team. In September 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and its contractors continued the work of the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing...
The Quality Improvement Organization Program – The Next Chapter
The message below was sent to all Great Plains Quality Innovation Network LAN Partners on Monday, July 5. Passing along again in case you missed it. The Great Plains Quality Innovation Network (QIN) is entering a transition phase as the Centers for Medicare &...
PATH Aims to Improve Care Transitions within IHS Facilities
In collaboration with the Indian Health Service (IHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Partnership to Advance Tribal Health (PATH) project work is supporting improvement efforts with care transitions for certified hospitals providing...
Paying for Colorectal Cancer Screening Patient Navigation Toolkit Updated
The National Colorectal Cancer Round Table (NCCRT) and the Colorado School of Public Health have developed resources that provide practical advice on paying for and sustaining colorectal cancer screening patient navigation to help healthcare professionals at...
Prescription Drug Disposal Locator Tool Expands to Over 7,000 Locations
Too often, unused prescription drugs find their way into the wrong hands. According to the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs with a majority of abused prescription drugs being obtained from family...
What’s on the GPQIN Calendar?
The Great Plains Quality Innovation Network offers several educational opportunities for healthcare partners. The topics are diverse; there is something for everyone! We hope you are able to join us.
The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program: Improving Patient Outcomes
Karsen Duncan, PharmD, is a clinical pharmacist with Bryan Health. Duncan recently shared her perspective on the benefits of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). Dr. Duncan indicated she has personally seen an impact in patient outcomes as well as a...
Patient and Family Advisory Council in a Collaborative Medical Home
Sakakawea Medical Center in Hazen, North Dakota utilizes a community collaborative model for their Patient and Family Advisory Council [PFAC]. Join us for a WebEx conversation to learn more. Thursday, July 11, 2019 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. CT [symple_button...
Nebraska Seeing a Reduction of Opioid Prescriptions
Every day, more than 130 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids¹. The misuse of and addiction to opioids - including prescription pain relievers, heroin and synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl - is a serious national crisis that affects public...
Celebrating Impact, Focusing on Collaboration AND Looking Ahead
The final National Learning & Action Network (LAN) Event, titled “Celebrating Impact, Focusing on Collaboration, & Looking Ahead,” will highlight significant outcomes, outstanding innovations and sustainability efforts. Wednesday, July 10, 2019 2:00 - 3:30...
Relieving Stress on the Body’s Waste Management System
Forgetting to take out the trash and dealing with the odor for an extra week, especially during the hot summer months, is never pleasant. Still, it is temporary, and the minor oversight increases our appreciation for waste management. In the body, the waste...
Ongoing Efforts to Combat C. diff in Long-Term Care Settings
Angel Davis [pictured] is a registered nurse and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ subject matter expert for the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program’s long-term care work. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing Quality Innovation...
Great Plains QIN Receives Network of Quality Improvement and Innovation Contractors (NQIIC) Award
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services selected Great Plains Quality Innovation Network as a Prime awardee of the Network of Quality Improvement and Innovation Contractor. This designation will allow NQIICs to bid on Task Orders over the next five years. As...
Reminder: BFCC-QIO Changes That Require Action by Healthcare Providers
REMINDER: Effective June 8, 2019: Changes to the Beneficiary and Family Centered Care – Quality Improvement Organization program. The Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program is the cornerstone of Medicare’s efforts to improve the quality of care and health...
Study Finds Physician Burnout Costs About $4.6 Billion Each Year
Physician burnout costs the healthcare industry between $2.6 billion and $6.3 billion annually, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. This included a baseline cost of about $4.6 billion as a result of turnover, reduced productivity and...
The Power of Connections: 2019 Nebraska Healthcare Quality Forum
Great Plains Quality Innovation Network – Nebraska hosted the 16th Annual Nebraska Healthcare Quality Forum on June 6, 2019 in La Vista. While the majority of the attendees were from Nebraska, healthcare professionals from neighboring states, including Iowa, Kansas,...
Ripple Effect of Dementia Training Started in Highmore, SD
The passion of one person can truly have an impact. A director of nursing in a small town in South Dakota saw a need to improve dementia care and her efforts led to a statewide training spanning three communities and reaching almost 300 healthcare professionals....
Toolkit Offers Free Resources to Improve Patient Safety
Preventable harm in healthcare is a public health crisis, with estimates placing it as a leading cause of death in the United States.1-4 Many adverse events leading to patient harm could have been prevented if appropriate safety protocols and clinical guidelines were...
Nursing Home Quality Measure Composite Score Honor Roll
We are pleased to announce the Nursing Home Quality Measure Composite Score Honor Roll Great Plains QIN wants to recognize nursing homes that have participated in the Great Plains Quality Care Collaborative efforts to improve care and applaud those who received this...
June 6th is “What Matters to You? #WMTY19
June 6th is “What Matters to You?” Day Inspired by the question posed in a 2012 New England Journal of Medicine article by Dr. Michael Barry and Susan Edgman-Levitan, 'What Matters to You' is a day for medical professions to build relationships with patients and staff...
Caring for People is Always the Priority
Relating to different points of view is a valuable personal and professional skill, especially in the healthcare industry. In her 30 years of nursing, Cheri Fast, RN, BSN, WOCN, has certainly developed a strong understanding of the challenges and rewards of positive...
Top 10 Reasons to Attend the Nebraska Healthcare Quality Forum….Register Today!
We invite you to attend the 16th annual Nebraska Healthcare Quality Forum Thursday, June 6, 2019 Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention Center - La Vista, Nebraska Top 10 Reasons to Attend: 10. An Exhibit Show, hosted by our excellent partner, the Nebraska Association...
Norfolk Area Sepsis Community Action Team (SCAT)
In August 2018, members of the Great Plains Quality Innovation Network (GPQIN) Nebraska team began meeting monthly with healthcare representatives from the Norfolk community to bring forward each organization's efforts related to sepsis. Self-named the Norfolk Area...
Virtual Quality Forum Brings North Dakota Healthcare Stakeholders Together
Over 200 healthcare professionals and community service providers from across North Dakota met virtually for Quality Health Associates of North Dakota’s Annual Quality Forum on Thursday, May 23, 2019. It’s the first time a virtual format was used for the Forum with...
Joint Commission Issues New Standards for Anticoagulation Therapy
The Joint Commission’s new National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) for anticoagulation therapy will become effective July 1, 2019. The intention of the standards is to reduce the risk of medication-related adverse events and applies to all Joint...
BFCC-QIO Changes That Require Action by Healthcare Providers
Effective June 8, 2019, there will be changes to the Beneficiary and Family Centered Care – Quality Improvement Organization program. The Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program is the cornerstone of Medicare’s efforts to improve the quality of care and health...