Nursing homes achieved 40% pressure ulcer reduction working with Medicare QIOs

QIO Fact Sheet

Nursing homes dramatically reduced pressure ulcer rates and restraint use in the last three years by participating in Medicare Quality Improvement Organization initiatives, according to new government data circulated Thursday.

More than 780 nursing homes partnered with QIOs in a pressure ulcer reduction initiative, achieving a 38% reduction between 2011 and 2014, according to the fact sheet distributed by the American Health Quality Association. Nearly 1,000 nursing homes worked with QIOs to minimize restraint use, and they posted a 76% reduction.

The American Health Quality Association represents QIOs, which are private organizations charged with helping Medicare providers boost care quality. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services contracts with one QIO in each state. In 2011, CMS announced a series of QIO programs, including the pressure ulcer initiative, to “reconfigure health care processes to make them safer and more patient-focused.”

In one example of how the pressure ulcer program worked, the quality organization in Arkansas helped a rural nursing home to implement best practices, such as prompt risk assessments and evidence-based training protocols, according to the AHQA.

CMS shared the most recent data on the improvement programs with stakeholders last week, an AHQA spokeswoman told McKnight’s.