Latest News
CMS Releases Its Chronic Pain Experience Journey Map
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently released the Chronic Pain Experience Journey Map which highlights the most prominent barriers experienced by people accessing care and the influencers acting on providers. These access issues and...
Older Americans Month I May 2022
Every May, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) leads the nation’s observance of Older Americans Month (OAM). The 2022 theme is Age My Way, an opportunity for all of us to explore the many ways older adults can remain in and be involved with their...
Great Plains QIN Webinar: Palliative Care in the Dakotas | May 17, 2022
Rural adults are more likely than urban counterparts to have a larger range of chronic conditions³ and extensive disparities in health, such as greater rates of death, pain and suffering and reduced life expectancy². The increasing need for palliative care services...
National Nurses Month | Self-Care – Taking Care of YOU!
Being a nurse requires consistently caring for others and paying close attention to the physical and mental state of patients. Selflessly showing up for others is an incredible task, but often, those closest to the health care system are at the highest risk of...
Great Plains QIN Vaccination Tracking Log Updated
Great Plains QIN updated the GPQIN Electronic Vaccination Tracking Log to include the second COVID-19 booster, pneumococcal vaccines PCV15 and PCV20. This Excel tracking log is designed as a 'quick review' for the MDS person and/or infection preventionist to access a...
North Dakota Stepping On Program Facilitator Training Opportunity | June 8 – 10
Stepping On Training Opportunity in North Dakota About 36 million falls are reported among older adults each year—resulting in more than 32,000 deaths. Each year, about 3 million older adults are treated in emergency departments for a...
CMS Skilled Nursing Facilities & Long Term-Care Open Door Forum I April 28
CMS Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF)/Long Term Care (LTC) Open Door Forum Thursday, April, 28 2022 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM (CT) 1-888-455-1397 | Conference Passcode: 5109694 Conference call...
What Should You Do With Your Unused Medications? April 30 Is Drug Take Back Day
The Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is April 30, 2022. This event, which happens twice a year, is a safe, convenient, and responsible way to dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs at locations in communities throughout...
BrainGuide: Start Your Brain Health Journey
In South Dakota alone, 18,000 older adults, age 65 and older, are living with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. In North Dakota, 15,000 persons, aged 65 and older, are living with Alzheimer’s. Estimated projections show an increase of 6 to 11 percent by 2025. For more...
Best Practice Briefs: Reducing Health Disparities | May 2022
Great Plains QIN and the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care are co-sponsoring a series of health equity and health disparity learning events. Imagine bare cupboards, an empty gas tank, and a pile of past due bills. Pile on a chronic physical or mental health...
“YOU Make a Difference” – National Nurses Month I May 2022
The impact of nurses on health care is unparalleled; directly affecting the health and well-being of our society. In May we honor them. Nurses are everywhere we live, work, play, learn, and worship and in every health care setting providing care to millions of people....
Recognizing Disparity to Advance Health Equity | April 26 Webinar
Health disparities are important to recognize because they provide a metric to measure progress toward advancing health equity. Individuals living in rural areas have limited access to a variety of services, including health care, which creates an increased level of...
Meet Our Newest Team Member I Stephanie Meduna, RN, BSN
Stephanie Meduna, RN, BSN Quality Improvement Advisor | Great Plains Quality Innovation Network My new role with Great Plains Quality Innovation Network, is Quality Improvement Advisor. I will be devoting my time to doing what I love, Quality improvement. I will...
National Drug Take Back Day | April 30, 2022
During the COVID-19 health crisis, it's more important than ever to remove the risk and keep your loved ones safe. Unused prescription drugs can be dangerous, especially for children, teens and even pets. Misused medications can lead to accidental overdose or...
Remote Patient Monitoring Programs Can Work Magic for Enrolled Patients
Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) is a system that uses one or more devices to transmit patient-generated health data to healthcare professionals for review. The Dakotas have a high percentage of rural citizens, which requires creativity to deliver services. Remote...
Update to COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers
In response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and under the Secretary’s authority set out at section 1135 of the Social Security Act, CMS enacted several temporary emergency declaration blanket waivers which were intended to provide healthcare providers with...
NEW Campaign: COVID-19 Staff Vaccination Booster Champions
We have launched a new Campaign to celebrate and recognize organizations with high staff COVID-19 booster vaccination rates throughout North Dakota and South Dakota. Organizations that meet this milestone will be provided a Staff COVID-19 Vaccination Booster Champion...
Soul Shop Workshops – Equipping Faith Communities to Minister to Suicidal Desperation
Suicide. We’ve got to talk about it even though people would rather not. North Dakota Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is hosting Soul Shop–Equipping Faith Communities to Minister to Suicidal Desperation. This one-day training is Tuesday, May...
The Dakota Diabetes Coalition: FREE Webinar Series | April – June 2022
Running a Best Practice Program: Increasing Sustainability of Medical Nutrition Therapy & Diabetes Self Management Education Services (DMES) Great Plains Quality Innovation Network is a proud supporter of the upcoming Dakota Diabetes Coalition (DDC) Learning...
Meet our Newest Team Member | Kelsey Olson, BA
Great Plains QIN is pleased to introduce one of our newest team members - Kelsey Olson, BA. Kelsey will serve as part of our communications team as a Communication Specialist. I attended the University of South Dakota as well as the University of North Dakota. While a...
Access the UPDATED CDC Antibiotic Resistance Website
The CDC has recently updated its Antibiotic Resistance Website to better engage and share information on antibiotic resistance (AR) in the United States and around the world. We all have a role to play—from travelers, animal owners, and care givers to patients and...
Increasing Vaccination Rates: Admission and Discharge Processes are Key
Vaccinations are a key component of keeping residents, patients, staff and our communities safe. Studies show health care providers are the most trusted source of vaccine information. Research also shows when a strong recommendation is given by a health care provider,...
NEW CDC COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation Calculator
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) new COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation (Q&I) Calculator is an online, mobile-friendly tool to help people follow quarantine and isolation guidance and get customized information for their unique situation....
Give Your Community a Boost | National Minority Health Month
Every April, the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) observes National Minority Health Month to highlight the importance of improving the health of racial and ethnic minorities and reducing health disparities. The theme for National Minority Health Month 2022 is Give...
Great Plains QIN Webinar: Addressing Health Equity in the Dakotas | April 26, 2022
April 26, 2022 | 3:00 p.m. CT “Health equity means increasing opportunities for everyone to live the healthiest life possible, no matter who we are, where we live or how much money we make.” - Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Life is complicated and every person faces...
Project ECHO Behavioral Health Professional Workforce: Creating Cultures of Resiliency
Creating Cultures of Resiliency for Behavioral Health Professionals through Project ECHO® This ECHO program is open to all trainees, professionals, and supervisors engaged in the provision of mental and/or behavioral health services. This program will train and...
AHRQ Safety Program for MRSA Prevention: Break the Chain of Infection
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most invasive and deadly multi-drug resistant organisms. In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the...
Great Plains QIN Connecting the Dots Webinar | Recording and Presentation Available
The Great Plains QIN team hosted a Webinar, Connecting the Dots, on March 15, 2022 to present the connection between sepsis, immunizations and antibiotic stewardship. Presenters offered an overview of the Connecting the Dots campaign and available tools and resources...
North Dakota CIRE Program – Bringing the Experts to You: COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnancy | April 20, 2022
The North Dakota State University Center for Immunization Research and Education is excited to welcome Andrea Edlow, MD, MSc as its first guest presenter in Bringing the Experts to You: A Webinar Series on Vaccines. Dr. Edlow is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics,...
Undo Your Risk: Diabetes Prevention and Education
From a tattoo gone wrong to refusing grandma’s watecha, the South Dakota Department of Health’s Undo the Risk video collection uses diverse and humorous scenarios to relay the message that diabetes can be prevented. Awkward "undoable" situations portrayed include a...