NHQI Pilot Project

The Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) of six states (CO, FL, MD, OH, RI, and WA) participated in a pilot test of the release of the quality measures and quality improvement efforts in nursing homes in the spring of 2002.

Nursing homes were selected by the end of May for participation in the Quality Initiative Pilot Project. Many nursing facilities responded to the recruitment letter from the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care (CFMC), the quality improvement organization (QIO) for the state of Colorado. Participation was voluntary. Facilities indicated they were eager to work with CFMC and their peers to produce effective and efficient systems of care, seeking the best for their nursing home residents.

Five educational workshops were provided by CFMC around the state for nursing home providers in the spring of 2002. The workshops focused on information regarding Pain Management, the calculation of the measures, and quality improvement efforts of the CMS initiative. The workshops were very well attended. As a result, CFMC was able to bring a great deal of feedback to CMS from the provider community on use of these measures for public reporting purposes.

The Colorado Foundation for Medical Care (CFMC), the Medicare quality improvement organization for Colorado, prepared this material under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents do not necessarily reflect CMS Policy.