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Significant reductions in adverse drug events, infections, wounds and use of restraints in nursing homes are among the key achievements recently cited by federal regulators. The good news comes in a progress report on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Quality Improvement Organization Program.

Among the achievements for participating nursing homes:

• 44,640 potential adverse drug events were prevented;

• 3,374 pressure ulcers were prevented or healed in 787 facilities;

• 6,250 Medicare beneficiaries in 981 facilities are now restraint free; and

• 85,149 fewer days with urinary catheters for Medicare beneficiaries were reported.

Under the quality of resident-centered care and safety initiative, the QIO program hopes to unite nursing homes, key stakeholders and organizations throughout their communities to share tools, knowledge and technology to achieve system-wide improvement. One in five nursing home residents currently suffer preventable harm, according to an Inspector General report