Letter from Vice President Pence on Hospital Reporting & COVID-19
As the Quality Innovation Network – Quality Improvement Organization for North Dakota and South Dakota, Great Plains Quality Innovation Network has been asked to communicate COVID-19 data collection and reporting requirements to all hospitals in our two states. The...
CMS Guidance on Survey Activity Prioritization – COVID-19
On March 23, 2020, CMS Memo QSO-20-20-All summarized the prioritization of survey activities for long-term care facilities (nursing homes), hospitals, home health agencies, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities and hospices. A...
![April 2 – Great Plains Quality Care Coalition Getting Started Webinar – [CANCELED]](https://i0.wp.com/greatplainsqin.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/health-2082630_1280.jpg?resize=1080%2C300&ssl=1)
April 2 – Great Plains Quality Care Coalition Getting Started Webinar – [CANCELED]
Our Great Plains Quality Innovation Network team would like to acknowledge and thank our healthcare partners for all you are doing to support, navigate and adapt to this unprecedented and quickly changing environment related to COVID-19. We acknowledge your strong...
![Hand Hygiene for Healthcare Personnel – Responding to COVID-19 [FAQs]](https://i2.wp.com/greatplainsqin.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/surgery-wash1280x300.jpg?resize=1080%2C300&ssl=1)
Hand Hygiene for Healthcare Personnel – Responding to COVID-19 [FAQs]
Frequently Asked Questions Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site for updates and resources on this topic. The CDC continues to recommend the use of alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) as the primary method for hand hygiene in most clinical...
COVID-19 Telehealth Toolkits for General Practitioners and End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Providers
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released two comprehensive toolkits on telehealth that are specific to general practitioners as well as providers treating patients with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). CMS has broadened access to Medicare...
CMS Announces Data Reporting Exceptions and Extensions for Healthcare Facilities and Clinicians
March 22, 2020 - In response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today it is granting a range of data reporting exceptions and extensions across its quality reporting and value-based payment...
COVID-19 Telehealth Coverage Expansion Benefits Medicare Beneficiaries
Medicare beneficiaries will have access to a wider range of health services during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency as the result of expanded telehealth coverage. The Trump Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented the...
Resources for COVID-19 Information and Guidance Updates
The CDC, CMS, and State Departments of Health are responding to cases of COVID-19 across the United States. This is a rapidly evolving situation and new information and guidance to healthcare facilities is being updated on a daily basis. In addition to your State...
Great Plains Quality Care Coalition Webinar – Getting Started [CANCELED]
Please join us. Better together. April 2, 2020 | 1:00 p.m. CT This event has been canceled. Our team of quality improvement experts will outline the format and structure for the Great Plains Quality Care Coalition (GPQCC), including benefits and...
Starting the Conversation About Prescription (Rx) Opioids | CDC Guidelines
In 2018, 9.9 million people reported misuse of prescription pain relievers, such as opioids, during the past year on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Doctors prescribe opioids to treat moderate to severe pain, often following a surgery or injury or for...
Consensus-Based Medication Safety Best Practices for Hospitals
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices has published the 2020-2021 Targeted Medication Safety Best Practices for Hospitals (TMSBP). The updated list includes new best practices on opioid prescribing and on the risks related to the 'override' feature with...
Meet Your Quality Improvement Partner: Jayme Steig
Great Plains Quality Innovation Network (GPQIN) has a team of highly-committed, quality improvement experts who are ready to meet you where you are at in your quality improvement journey. Committed to the mission of making healthcare in our region the best in the...
Patient Safety Awareness Week – Join the Initiative and Raise Awareness
Some studies suggest that as many as 400,000 deaths occur in the United States each year as a result of errors or preventable harm. Not every case of harm results in death, yet they can cause long-term impact on the patient's physical health, emotional health,...
COVID-19 Updates and Resources for Healthcare Professionals
March 5, 2020 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued three new Quality, Safety and Oversight memos about COVID-19 - two apply to nursing homes and a third to hospitals that are listed below. We strongly encourage you to review. QSO...
CMS Announces Actions to Address Spread of Coronavirus
March 4, 2020 - CMS calls on all healthcare providers to activate infection control practices and issues guidance to inspectors as they inspect facilities affected by Coronavirus Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is announcing several...
New Toolkits Available to Ensure Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released two toolkits to help with safety and quality in nursing homes. Developing a Restful Environment Action Manual (DREAM) Toolkit – Consists of several component, including a nurse handbook, leadership...
Eliminating Medication Overload: Lown Institute Action Plan
Every day, 750 older Americans are hospitalized due to serious side effects from one or more medications. The odds of experiencing a serious adverse reaction to a medication increases 7 to 10 percent with each additional drug—yet today, more than 40 percent of older...
Great Plains Quality Care Coalition Webinar – Getting Started: Register Today!
Please join us. Better together. March 18, 2020 | 12:00 p.m. CT April 2, 2020 | 1:00 p.m. CT Select the date/time that works best for you to attend. Attend our Upcoming Webinar: Getting Started. Our team of quality improvement experts will outline the format and...
North Dakota Communities Receive Grants to Further Activity and Wellness
A number of North Dakota communities received 2020-2021 grants from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Caring Foundation Rural Health Grant Program. The purpose of the program is to serve and show benefit to North Dakotans and their health needs while raising...
Meet Your Quality Improvement Partner: Tammy Wagner
Great Plains Quality Innovation Network (GPQIN) has a team of highly-committed, quality improvement experts who are ready to meet you where you are at in your quality improvement journey. Committed to the mission of making healthcare in our region the best in the...
National Drug Control Strategy – Addressing the ‘Treatment Gap’
In 2018, an estimated 21.2 million Americans, aged 12 and older, needed treatment for a Substance Use Disorder (SUD), but only 3.7 million received any kind of treatment and only 2.4 million received treatment at a specialty facility - a disparity known as the...
Acupuncture Covered for Chronic Low Back Pain for Medicare Beneficiaries
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently finalized a decision to cover acupuncture for Medicare patients with chronic low back pain. Before this final National Coverage Determination (NCD) reconsideration, acupuncture was nationally non-covered...
Your Quality Improvement Partner: Stacie Fredenburg
Great Plains Quality Innovation Network (GPQIN) has a team of highly-committed, quality improvement experts who are ready to meet you where you are at in your quality improvement journey. Committed to the mission of making healthcare in our region the best in the...
![Age-Friendly Health Systems: An Evidence-Based Model of Care [4Ms]](https://i1.wp.com/greatplainsqin.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/group-of-seniors-laughing.jpg?resize=1080%2C300&ssl=1)
Age-Friendly Health Systems: An Evidence-Based Model of Care [4Ms]
The United States is aging. The number of older adults, individuals ages 65 years and older, is growing rapidly. As we age, care often becomes more complex. Health systems frequently are not prepared for this complexity, and older adults suffer a disproportionate...
In Case You Missed It…Great Plains Quality Care Coalition Informational Webinar
Want to know how our team can help enhance your work? Great Plains Quality Care Coalition Informational Webinars were held earlier this month to outline participation, expectations and benefits. If you missed it, access the 30-minute recording below. We are looking...
Ryan Sailor Named Great Plains QIN Chief Executive Officer
Effective January 3, 2020, Ryan Sailor, MBA, will serve as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Great Plains Quality Innovation Network (GPQIN), following Tina Georgy’s semi-retirement. Sailor has been serving as President & Chief Operating Officer for Great...
Great Plains QIN CEO Georgy to Semi-Retire After 35 Years
Effective January 3, 2020, Tina Georgy (pictured) will step down as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Great Plains Quality Innovation Network. Georgy will continue as the CEO for the parent company, CIMRO, based in Champaign, Illinois. Georgy’s executive...
Announcement: CMS Quality Award
Great Plains Quality Innovation Network Selected as a Recipient of QIN-QIO Task Order I Award under the 12th Statement of Work On November, 8, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded a five-year contract to Great Plains Quality Innovation...
Updates to the Nursing Home Compare Website and the Five Star Quality Rating System
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced changes to the Nursing Home Compare website and the Five Star Quality Rating System [October 23, 2019 website update]. CMS Memo QSO-20-02-NH discusses changes to the quality measures and the...
What’s Next: National AIMS and Community Coalitions
Our team is eagerly waiting to get started facilitating change and improvement across our region. The Great Plains Quality Care Coalition will be the platform. Individuals receiving care, community leaders and healthcare professionals will be at the table; working...