The American Hospital Association's Health Research & Educational Trust (AHA/HRET) has been selected as one of 16 national, regional or state hospital associations, Quality Improvement Organizations and health system organizations to continue efforts in reducing preventable hospital-acquired conditions and readmissions. The Hospital Improvement Innovation Network (HIIN) contracts awarded build upon the collective momentum of the Hospital Engagement Networks and Quality Improvement Organizations to reduce patient harm and readmissions. This announcement is part of a broader effort to transform our health care system into one that works better for the American people and for the Medicare program.
The Indiana Hospital Association (IHA) will participate in the HIIN to continue working to improve patient care in the hospital setting. IHA has been named to lead AHA/HRET's HIIN efforts in Indiana and provide education and assistance to hospitals statewide.
"We are very excited to be a part of this important national health care initiative," said Doug Leonard, president of IHA. "Indiana hospitals have made very positive impacts when it comes to patient safety in our state, and we believe that being a part of a Hospital Improvement Innovation Network will allow us to sustain and accelerate state progress."
Through 2019, these Hospital Improvement Innovation Networks will work to achieve a 20 percent decrease in overall patient harm and a 12 percent reduction in 30-day hospital readmissions as a population-based measure (readmissions per 1,000 people) from the 2014 baseline. Efforts to address health equity for Medicare beneficiaries will be central to the Hospital Improvement Innovation Network efforts. CMS will monitor and evaluate the activities of the HIIN to ensure that they are generating results and improving patient safety.
"We have made significant progress in keeping patients safe – an estimated 2.1 million fewer patients harmed, 87,000 lives saved and nearly $20 billion in cost-savings from 2010 to 2014 – and we are focused on accelerating improvement efforts," said Patrick Conway, M.D., CMS acting principal deputy administrator and chief medical officer. "The work of the Hospital Improvement Innovation Network will allow us to continue to improve health care safety across the nation and reduce readmissions at a national scale – keeping people as safe and healthy as possible."
The 16 organizations (listed in alphabetical order) receiving contracts in the Hospital Improvement Innovation Network are:
- Carolinas Healthcare System
- Dignity Health
- Healthcare Association of New York State
- HealthInsight
- The Health Research and Educational Trust of the American Hospital Association
- Health Research and Educational Trust of New Jersey
- Health Services Advisory Group
- The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania
- Iowa Healthcare Collaborative
- Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) Health Foundation
- Minnesota Hospital Association
- Ohio Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety
- Ohio Hospital Association
- Premier, Inc.
- Vizient, Inc.
- Washington State Hospital Association
The Partnership for Patients model is one of the first models established in 2011 to be tested under the authority of section 1115A of the Social Security Act (the Act) with the goal of reducing program expenditures while preserving or enhancing the quality of care. Since the launch of the Partnership for Patients and the work of Hospital Engagement Networks in collaboration with many other stakeholders, the vast majority of U.S. hospitals have delivered results as demonstrated by the achievement of unprecedented national reductions in harm. CMS believes that the upcoming work of the HIIN, working as part of the Quality Improvement Organization's work to improve patient safety and the quality of care in the Medicare program, will continue the great strides made in improving care provided to beneficiaries.
For more information on the Partnership for Patients and the HIIN, please visit: partnershipforpatients.cms.gov.
