Illinois Hospital Association

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March 28, 2008

Upcoming Educational Opportunities: Focus on Quality Improvement and Public Accountability

TO: Chief Executive Officers
  Chief Medical Officers
  Chief Financial Officers
  Chief Nursing Officers
  Directors of Quality
  Directors of Medical Records
  Directors of Infection Control and Prevention
  Directors of Public Relations
  COMPdata Contacts


It has become increasingly apparent from the volume of participants on IHA conference calls and the number of inquiries IHA receives on public reporting and performance improvement, that many staff from different areas within a hospital now are active participants in reporting data and improving processes and outcomes of care. Public accountability and quality improvement covers many disciplines and areas within a hospital and the inter-dependency is driving teams to be formed across many settings that traditionally had very little interaction – but which now require much support and information to be successful.

IHA has tailored two upcoming programs to meet member needs on public accountability and performance improvement. While these programs will address specific current needs the program content will also help hospitals prepare and strategically plan for developments in 2009. IHA has also worked to develop programs with highly regarded speakers and experts at a price affordable for all IHA members.

Illinois Quality Leadership Conference – May 15 and 16
The Illinois Quality Leadership Conference will be held on May 15 and 16 at the Hilton in Lisle. The focus of the program is the cross cutting requirements across multi-disciplinary areas within a hospital to meet performance reporting and excel in quality improvement.

Discussion Topics will include:

  • Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) 5 Million Lives Campaign – IHI Faculty will discuss the emerging role of CMOs and CMIOs within hospitals and successful strategies to reduce patient harm and improve health outcomes
  • Quality Improvement Organization 9th Statement of Work effective August 1, 2008 and hospital requirements and initiatives presented by the Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care executive director
  • Dartmouth Atlas presentation on hospital specific performance and discussion about chronic care management and end-of-life care challenges and opportunities
  • Illinois Public Reporting Requirements - Hospital Report Card Act nurse staff reporting and infection measurements; Consumer Guide Reports; Infection MRSA and C-Diff reports; and Adverse Event reporting
  • Federal Reporting Requirements on Hospital Compare inpatient and outpatient public reporting requirements; validation processes; patient satisfaction; payment information; and physician quality reporting requirements; and Patient Safety Organization (PSO) rules
  • Recovery Audit Contractor focus and lessons learned from Florida demonstration program from Florida Hospital Association executive. Highlights will include the importance of documentation and alignment and integration of all hospital information internally
  • State and local perspectives from leading health care experts and researchers on PBS Series on "Unnatural Causes" and presentations on interventions underway to reduce breast cancer mortality among African American women and reduce and control diabetes in the Hispanic population. IHA staff will discuss the types of information and reports providers will be seeing with the state mandated reporting on race and ethnicity that became effective in Illinois on January 1, 2008.
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    Registration and Fees
    Registration Information will be sent by e-mail and regular mail during the week of March 31. The fees for the program will cover all meeting material, lunches, refreshments, and a networking reception. Early bird registration fees will be $175 for the first registrant and $160 for each additional registrant.

    Quality Accountability and Performance Reporting – Voices of Experience Series
    The Illinois Hospital Association is pleased to bring together a series of three televideo conferences targeted to coincide with the public release and new reporting requirements of at state and federal levels. The series is aimed at the multi-disciplinary team members of hospitals including the CEO, CMO, CNE, CFO, CIO, Director of Quality, Director of Infection Control and Prevention, Public Relations, and Board members. We urge hospitals to pull together a team to participate in these televideo presentations as we know all of the public reporting initiatives and quality improvement initiatives cut across many disciplines.

    Meeting Dates and Discussion Topics
    April 29 – Topics for Discussion focus on public information now and in near future, public relations tips on explaining information and results to the public and your community, and advantages of conducting an accountability audit and engaging physicians, clinicians, and boards in discussion

  • Hospital Quality Alliance and Next Steps
  • Illinois Report Results – Hospital Specific and Comparative Information from COMPdata will be prepared for each participating hospital
  • Health literacy – how to communicate hospital results to the public and community in terms that they can understand
  • Importance of conducting an accountability audit given the increasing availability of hospital specific information provided by government and commercial organizations
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    July 23 – Topics will focus on preparing for the first release of nurse staff information, SCIP infection results, and MRSA and C-Diff public reports. Providers from states in which nurse staff ratios and infection information are public will provide insight into the public reaction and tips on how best to prepare your hospital for internal and public inquiries and the media. Hospitals will be provided with their own hospital specific reports on nurse staff information and MRSA and C-Diff infections.

    October 15 – Topics will focus on Medicare’s inpatient and outpatient expanded public reporting requirements, value based exchanges, and the value based purchasing plan to become effective October 1, 2008. There will also be presentations and COMPdata reports provided on healthcare acquired payment reduction targeted areas using hospital data and the Present on Admission code results. Outside speakers will include a value exchange designated organization and local health plans to discuss their future payment incentive initiatives.

    Additionally, pending the targeted availability date by the Illinois Department of Public Health, a discussion on the Consumer Guide utilizing inpatient and outpatient hospital information will be weaved into the July or October meeting discussions. Prototypes developed by IDPH will be shared as soon as they are available.

    Registration and Fees
    Registration Information will be sent the week of March 31 by e-mail and postal mail to all members. Each of the programs in this series will be half day morning sessions and will be broadcast via televideo conference to multiple sites. Refreshments will be provided at each site along with meeting materials and reports. The more attendees from your hospital, the lower the price per person. Registration fees for the entire three program series are $90 for 1 attendee, $160 total for 2 attendees, $225 total for 3 attendees, etc. As we are working to encourage multi-disciplinary teams to attend, we have created a multiple attendance incentive and are allowing hospitals to send different team members to each of the sessions as we know some topics may be more relevant to particular team members.

    Please send additional questions to Pat Merryweather at pmerrweather@ihastaff.org.