IQH Honored for Work in Hospital Readmissions

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recognized IQH for its successful efforts in reducing unnecessary hospital readmissions and hospital-acquired infections as part of the Partnership for Patients initiative. IQH, the Medicare Quality Innovation Network - Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) for Mississippi, received the award at the recent CMS Quality Conference in Baltimore, MD.

To date, the Partnership for Patients has saved 87,000 lives and $20 billion, and reduced patient harms by 2.1 million.

"We're honored that CMS recognized our work as part of this important initiative," said IQH CEO Becky Roberson. "The partnerships we've formed with the healthcare providers in Mississippi and the hard work they and our team have put in over the past several years is paying off in better healthcare in the communities we serve."

The creation of Learning and Action Networks (LANs), peer groups where participants hear from experts and fellow providers, has contributed to the success of the program. The peer groups share successes and lessons learned and have access to customized data reports that show their performance compared to the Network and national averages.

"While we're happy with the progress we've made, there's a lot of work to be done," Ms. Roberson added. "We look forward to continuing our efforts to improve the quality and safety of healthcare in Mississippi."

For more information about IQH, visit www.iqh.org.