New Jersey Hospital Association Selected to Continue Improvements in Patient Safety

PRINCETON, N.J., Oct. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The New Jersey Hospital Association 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 contracts, announced recently by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 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 the healthcare system into one that works better for both patients and the Medicare program.

"We are thrilled to once again be chosen by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to lead New Jersey hospitals in the essential work of making healthcare better for the people of our state," said NJHA President and CEO Betsy Ryan. "This is the third time CMS has selected NJHA's Health Research and Educational Trust for this role, and it's testament to the results we've achieved in New Jersey:

• more than 14,000 cases of patient harm averted
• more than $120 million in healthcare cost savings
• the second-best rate of reducing hospital readmissions in the nation
• dramatic improvement in reducing infection and sepsis mortality rates, adverse drug events and other important quality measures."

Through 2019, NJHA and the other 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 and Innovation Networks efforts. CMS will monitor and evaluate the activities of the Hospital Improvement Innovation Networks 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 Networks 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 Partnership for Patients was established in 2011 with the goal of reducing Medicare 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.

"In this period of massive change in our healthcare system, the number one goal is to deliver better, more cost-effective healthcare to the people. And that's what NJHA and New Jersey healthcare providers have done since our initial involvement in the Partnership for Patients initiative in 2012," said Ryan. "Every hospital in the state has participated in this effort, and we've partnered with post-acute providers to engage the full healthcare continuum. Moving forward, our focus will remain on reducing adverse healthcare events and readmissions, along with new areas of emphasis including health disparities and antibiotic stewardship."

For more information on the Partnership for Patients and the Hospital Improvement Innovation Networks, please visit: partnershipforpatients.cms.gov. To learn more about NJHA's efforts in this quality improvement initiative, visit http://www.njha.com/pressroom/pfp-year-3/home/.

SOURCE New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA)

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http://www.njha.com