FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mary Kay Clunies-Ross
WSHA VP, Membership and Communications
marykaycr@wsha.org; 206/216-2894
Hospital Improvement Innovation Networks to continue patient safety improvement efforts started under the Partnership for Patients initiative
Seattle — The Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) has been selected as one of 16 national, regional, or state hospital associations; Quality Improvement Organizations; and health system organizations to continue efforts in reducing preventable hospital-acquired conditions and readmissions. The Hospital Improvement Innovation Network contracts were awarded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to build upon the collective momentum of the Hospital Engagement Networks and Quality Improvement Organizations to reduce patient harm and readmissions. This announcement is part of a broader effort to transform our health care system into one that works better for the American people and for the Medicare program.
WSHA will participate in the new, exciting Hospital Improvement Innovation Networks to continue working to improve patient care in the hospital setting.
“Hospitals have achieved 49,000 fewer harms with $611 million in savings in health care costs from Partnership for Patients,” said Carol Wagner, WSHA’s senior vice president for patient safety. “That is just the beginning. Alaska, Washington, and part of Oregon will be collaborating to continue driving innovation through region-wide patient safety improvement initiatives for the next three years. Our work isn’t done. We strive to get to the point where hospital-acquired infections, falls, pressure ulcers and unnecessary hospital readmissions no longer happen.”
“WSHA and our member hospitals and health systems are focused on delivering quality health care to patients and keeping our communities healthy,” WSHA CEO and President Scott Bond said. “Many of our member hospitals and health systems directly compete with one another, but when it comes to patient safety, that competition takes a back seat. This contract helps us expand on this work to continue improving the way health care is delivered all across Washington State.”
Through 2019, these Hospital Improvement Innovation Networks will work to achieve a 20 percent decrease in overall patient harm and a 12 percent reduction in 30-day hospital readmissions as a population-based measure (readmissions per 1,000 people) from the 2014 baseline. Efforts to address health equity for Medicare beneficiaries will be central to the Hospital Improvement Innovation Networks efforts. CMS will monitor and evaluate the activities of the Hospital Improvement Innovation Networks to ensure that they are generating results and improving patient safety.
Nationally, the results are stunning. “We have made significant progress in keeping patients safe – an estimated 2.1 million fewer patients harmed, 87,000 lives saved, and nearly $20 billion in cost-savings from 2010 to 2014 – and we are focused on accelerating improvement efforts,” said Patrick Conway, M.D., CMS acting principal deputy administrator and chief medical officer. “The work of the Hospital Improvement Innovation Networks will allow us to continue to improve health care safety across the nation and reduce readmissions at a national scale – keeping people as safe and healthy as possible.”
The 16 organizations (listed in alphabetical order) receiving contracts in the Hospital Improvement Innovation Networks are:
• Carolinas Healthcare System
• Dignity Health
• Healthcare Association of New York State
• HealthInsight
• The Health Research and Educational Trust of the American Hospital Association
• Health Research and Educational Trust of New Jersey
• Health Services Advisory Group
• The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania
• Iowa Healthcare Collaborative
• Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) Health Foundation
• Minnesota Hospital Association
• Ohio Children’s Hospitals’ Solutions for Patient Safety
• Ohio Hospital Association
• Premier, Inc.
• Vizient, Inc.
• Washington State Hospital Association
The Partnership for Patients model is one of the first models established in 2011 to be tested under the authority of section 1115A of the Social Security Act (the Act) with the goal of reducing program expenditures while preserving or enhancing the quality of care. Since the launch of the Partnership for Patients and the work of Hospital Engagement Networks in collaboration with many other stakeholders, the vast majority of U.S. hospitals have delivered results as demonstrated by the achievement of unprecedented national reductions in harm. CMS believes that the upcoming work of the Hospital Improvement Innovation Networks, working as part of the Quality Improvement Organization’s work to improve patient safety and the quality of care in the Medicare program, will continue the great strides made in improving care provided to beneficiaries.
For more information on the Partnership for Patients and the Hospital Improvement Innovation Networks, please visit: partnershipforpatients.cms.gov.
About the Washington State Hospital Association
The Washington State Hospital Association works to improve the health of all Washington state residents by being active on key issues of policy and quality. WSHA represents more than 100 hospitals and health systems in the state, including those that are non-profit, investor-owned, and county, state and military hospitals. The Triple Aim guides our members and our work, as we strive to improve the patient experience, improve the health of populations and reduce the cost of health care. Visit www.wsha.org for more information.
