ABQAURP News
May / June 2011
Partnership for Patients: A New Quality Conundrum?
Most agree that the solution to our nation’s health care challenges remain elusive and difficult… perhaps the ultimate in Quality Conundrums. So I awaited with great excitement the April announcement by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Donald Berwick regarding the launch of the Partnership for Patients: Better Care, Lower Costs. This program comes with a price tag of one billion dollars, with federal funding available through the Affordable Care Act. Half of that money will drive through the Community-based Care Transitions Program, and the remainder will flow through the CMS Innovation Center.
The laudable goals of the partnership are:
- to keep patients from getting injured or sicker in the hospital, with an associated metric of decreasing preventable hospital-acquired conditions by 40% (from baseline 2010 till end 2013), saving an estimated 60,000 lives; and
- to help patients heal without complications, decreasing preventable complications occurring during care transition by 20% in the same time frame.
The potential savings from this project, over the next 3 years, have been estimated at 10 billion dollars to the Medicare program.
While I fully support this initiative, I am disappointed by the emphasis on improving the flaws in our existing system, rather than revisiting the core issues that cause illness. Would we be better served by developing a more effective universal approach to the diffusion and use of best practices, certainly with regard to managing and preventing complications, but even more importantly, by maintaining health and avoiding illness to begin with? What new partnership would you design?
For more information about the Partnership for Patients, see the department’s press release at http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/04/20110412a.html.
Please send inquiries and comments to rwillog@abqaurp.org, please use
Quality Column in the subject line.
We look forward to your participation in this new column.
Advance a Colleague’s Career and Help Strengthen Your Organization
As a Diplomate or AIHQ Member, you are ABQAURP’s strongest and most valuable resource. Your involvement in this year’s membership development campaign plays an essential role in ensuring the vitality of our organization. A strong membership foundation ensures a strong association!
ABQAURP will be rewarding the member who recruits the largest number of new members with a $200 Visa gift card plus a Member Spotlight on the home page of ABQAURP’s website. In addition, Diplomates and AIHQ Members continue to earn a $25 credit for each referred individual who converts to an AIHQ or Corporate Member or sits for the HCQM Certification Exam by December 31, 2011. This credit may then be used toward membership fees, publication purchases, or conference registrations. The top recruiter will be awarded the prize in January 2012. Visit www.abqaurp.org and go to the “Member’s Only” page for eligibility rules and full details.
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HCQM Certification Examination
We are now accepting applications for the 2011 International Health Care Quality and Management (HCQM) Board Examination.
ABQAURP is dedicated to establishing Health Care Quality and Management as a specialty with definable standards upheld by knowledgeable experts. Information on the 2011 Examination Window will be available soon.
Professionals who have achieved certification in Health Care Quality and Management (HCQM) are deeply committed to patient safety, health care quality, and effective care. Those certified in HCQM have demonstrated superior skills in their ability to critically evaluate the literature, identify evidence-based best practices, and make a recommendation that balances appropriateness of services with cost and quality. HCQM certification addresses the need for effectiveness, efficiency, equity, safety, and timeliness.
Visit the website at www.abqaurp.org and choose Certification for more information.
Is Your Medical Education Accredited?
ABQAURP welcomes applications for joint sponsorship of educational activities for continuing education credit. ABQAURP accredits a variety of activities, including:
- Live Activity
- Internet Activity Live
- Enduring Material
- Internet Activity
- Enduring Material
- Journal-Based CME
- Performance Improvement
ABQAURP is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians and is also accredited by the Florida Board of Nursing to sponsor nursing contact hours. As an accredited provider, ABQAURP is here to work with each joint sponsor organization to ensure the accreditation process runs as smoothly as possible. Benefits of working with ABQAURP include: one-on-one assistance, on-site assistance, contact for speakers and commercial supporters, evaluation compilation, one-time mailing list to drive attendance, website placement, and advertising in Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare magazine.
ABQAURP believes that ongoing continuing education in new research, identified problem areas in clinical practice, and areas of interest in the quality assurance, utilization review, risk management, and managed care fields is a worthy endeavor to pursue. Participants improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of health care delivered to the patients to improve the overall clinical outcome. Plus, each activity encourages participants to put into practice knowledge learned and assess the impact. Innovative courses provide important updates and practical tools for all health care professionals. These activities ensure that participating health care professionals receive up-to-date information on the ever-changing health care environment.
For more information, please call Deborah Naser at (800) 998-6030, ext. 118.
Member Update
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