“We are thrilled that CMS has recognized the patient safety and quality improvement efforts of our members among this esteemed group of contract recipients,” said Helen Darling, MA, NQF’s interim president and CEO. “These organizations are some of our many members that spearhead innovative work to make patient care among the best in the world.”

CMS’ Hospital Improvement and Innovation Network (HIIN) contracts build upon the collective momentum of the agency’s Hospital Engagement Networks and Quality Improvement Organizations to reduce patient harm and readmissions. They are part of a broader federal effort to make healthcare safer, more effective, and patient-centered.

“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, MD, CMS acting principal deputy administrator and chief medical officer. NQF members awarded HIIN contracts include:

• Carolinas HealthCare System
• Health Research & Educational Trust (of the American Hospital Association)
• Iowa Healthcare Collaborative
• Premier, Inc.
• Vizient, Inc.

CMS has set ambitious goals for HIINs, raising the bar for patient safety in acute-care hospital settings. Through 2019, the networks aim to decrease overall patient harm by 20 percent, with a 12 percent reduction in 30-day hospital readmissions from the 2014 baseline. The networks also seek to expand and develop hospital learning collaboratives and other initiatives to improve patient safety for Medicare patients.

Networks will address adverse drug events, central-line associated blood stream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, clostridium difficile infections, injury from falls and immobility, pressure ulcers, sepsis and septic shock, surgical site infections, venous thromboembolism, ventilator-associated events, and readmissions.