Primaris Press Release
| For immediate release: May 19, 2004 |
Contact: Matt Heger Primaris Communications Department (800) 735-6776, Ext. 136 |
Most Missouri Hospitals To Report Quality of Care Data
Hospitals Focus on Improving Quality of Care
Ninety-six percent of eligible hospitals in Missouri will voluntarily report quality of care information to the federal agency that administers Medicare, officials from Primaris today announced. Primaris is a non-profit healthcare quality improvement group.
The voluntary reporting is in conjunction with the national Hospital Quality Initiative supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In early 2005, the reported data will be available on Medicare's web site (www.medicare.gov). CMS currently publishes similar information on its web site from Missouri nursing homes and home health agencies.
When shared with consumers in 2005, the data that hospitals are reporting will give consumers information about their performance in treating heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia.
“The voluntary submission of this data signifies a commitment by Missouri hospitals to improve the quality of care that they provide,” said Richard A. Royer, Chief Executive Officer for Primaris. “Hospitals are going the extra mile, seeking out resources and hands-on training to support their quality improvement efforts.”
Primaris helps hospitals improve care in several ways. For example, the group helps hospitals use existing data to identify where they can improve care. When an opportunity for improvement is found, Primaris helps the hospital take action.
“A lot of our work involves pinpointing areas where a hospital is doing particularly well, and offering strategies for how to improve in other areas,” Royer said.
In all, 106 Missouri hospitals are reporting data about ten quality measures in order to receive their full annual payment update from Medicare.* In the 2003 Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act (MMA), Congress provided a financial incentive for hospitals to voluntarily report quality of care information. Hospitals that do not participate will receive a 0.4% reduction in their annual payment update from Medicare in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Some specialty hospitals, such as children's hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals and critical access hospitals (usually located in rural areas) do not have to report data to receive the payment update.
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* The deadline for enrollment has not passed. Additional hospitals may still volunteer.
MO-04-08-BENE2A This material was prepared by Primaris under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy.