The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently hosted a special session to gather information from stakeholders, including the public, to refine high priority areas for addressing emerging health and healthcare delivery issues within the next phase of the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) program, known as the 12th Scope of Work (SoW), which is to be awarded in 2019.
The QIO program is the largest federal program dedicated to improving health and healthcare quality at the local level for Medicare beneficiaries.
Topics currently identified as potential areas within 12th SOW include:
- Opiates
- Behavioral health
- Diagnostic errors
- Patient safety
- Chronic kidney disease
- Administrative burden/burnout
- Nursing home quality
- Big data
- Palliative care
- Antimicrobial stewardship
- Chronic disease management
- Creating better systems of care
- Value Based Purchasing/quality payment programs.
Additional opportunities to share ideas will be made available as CMS continues its market research and will be communicated publicly through The Federal Register and other CMS communication avenues. Individuals interested in participating in the process can send input to QIOPrograms@cms.hhs.gov
