The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #69145

David Boan, PhD, Information Science, Delmarva Foundation for Medical Care, 9240 Centreville Rd, Easton, MD 21601, 410.822.0697, dboan@dfmc.org

The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), in collaboration with its network of Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) has established the Medicare Quality Improvement Clearinghouse (www:medqic.org) as a central repository for all quality improvement resources related to Medicare quality improvement. The material is organized by delivery setting: nursing homes, home health agencies, hospitals and physician offices, as well as by clinical topic: heart care, pneumonia, surgical site infection prevention, diabetes, screening mammography and adult immunization. The topic areas are centered on performance indicators, which are being rolled out nationally for public reporting of Medicare provider specific performance. The site is available to the public with quality improvement resources presented in various downloadable formats. Quality Improvement Organizations (one for each state) have worked with Medicare providers to do quality improvement focused on these clinical topics since the early 90s and there is a wealth of experience captured in various document formats on the site. The site also contains a vast array of non-copywrited quality improvement resources from the larger healthcare community. The site will be presented with basic navigation instruction and an overview of the content for each of the clinical areas addressed.

Learning Objectives:

• The session participant will be able to describe the delivery settings and clinical topics contained in the Medicare Quality Improvement Clearinghouse.
• The session participant will be able to construct efficient search strategies within the Medicare Quality Improvement Clearinghouse.
• The session participant will recognize the value of the Medicare Quality Improvement Clearinghouse and be able to identify specific quality improvement resources from the site.

Keywords: Quality Improvement, Quality of Care

Related Web page: www:MedQIC.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Center for medicaid and medicare Services
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.