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PRACTICE EDUCATION RESOURCES

Web sites offer insights into health care quality management

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he Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services(CMS) has developed a number of Web-based re-sources to assist health care providers with the Medi-

are Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) andther quality management efforts. The agency has alsoeveloped a MedSearch feature on its Web site to provideasier access to guidance on claim filing and a new videoresentation to help practitioners and their staff membersetter understand Medicare preventive care coverage.

ualityNet.org offers quality reportingortalhe QualityNet Web site (www.QualityNet.org) providesealth care quality improvement news, resources, and dataeporting tools and applications used by health care provid-rs and others. The Web site’s Physician Offices page offersnformation on the Physician-Focused Quality Initiative,stablished by the CMS in line with ongoing strategies andrograms in other health care settings to (1) assess theuality of care for key illnesses and clinical conditions thatffect many people with Medicare, (2) support clinicians inroviding appropriate treatment of the conditions identified,3) prevent health problems that are avoidable, and (4)nvestigate the concept of payment for performance.

The QualityNet Web site is intended to facilitate theoctor’s Office Quality–Information Technology (DOQ-

T) project, a major facet of the Physician-Focused Qualitynitiative (see “DOQ-IT” section, this page). It also providesccess to the Quality Measures Management Informationystem (QMIS; see “QMIS” section, this page). QualityNet

s also the gateway to QualityNet Exchange, the onlyMS-approved Web site for secure communications andealth care quality data exchange between quality improve-ent organizations (QIOs), hospitals, physician offices,

ursing homes, end-stage renal disease networks and facil-ties, and data vendors.

OQ-IT University offers HIT traininghe CMS has announced the national launch of DOQ-ITniversity (DOQ-IT U) to support the implementation ofealth information technology (HIT) in health care prac-ices. DOQ-IT U is a first-of-its-kind, interactive, Web-ased education tool designed to help practitioners under-tand HIT and the quality management functions it canacilitate. It offers an online course in successful HITdoption, including lessons on vendor selection and opera-ional redesign, along with clinical processes. It also pro-

ides disease- and population-specific lessons in assess- o

529-1839/07/$ -see front matter © 2007 American Optometric Association. Alloi:10.1016/j.optm.2007.06.007

ent, planning, and implementation methodologiesncorporating clinical decision support and evidence-basededicine guidelines.The first learning sessions (modules), available now, fo-

us on physician office workflow design, culture change,nd communications necessary for successful electronicealth record adoption; implementation of care manage-ent; and incorporation of a strong patient self-manage-ent component to clinical care. Disease-specific modules,

tarting with diabetes, will emphasize patient self-manage-ent as a critical component in the successful management

f patients with chronic disease.DOQ-IT U offers a self-paced curriculum, available to

ealth care providers at their convenience. Additional fea-ures, such as surveys, utilization tracking, and the Continu-ng Medical Education/Continuing Education Unit (CME/EU)—offering/issuing capabilities will also be included in

he near future. The program is specifically designed forolo and small-to-medium-size practices.DOQ-IT U’s curriculum and associated tools are based on

dult learning principles. They are developed and managednder the CMS’s QIO program. A technical advisory panelomposed of leading medical experts from the Americanollege of Physicians, American Academy of Family Phy-

icians, the American Board of Internal Medicine, theealthcare Information and Management Systems Society,rivate payers, the American Health Information Manage-ent Association, and patient self management experts has

een convened and will provide content, consultation, andvaluation of the care management/DOQ-IT U modules.The nationally available e-learning system is available at

o charge. For more information, please see the CMSOQ-IT U Web site at http://elearning.qualitynet.org.

uality measures management toolhe CMS has announced the release of its Quality Mea-ures Management Information System (QMIS)—an elec-ronic database of the health care quality measures usedy the CMS in its broad quality improvement and publiceporting efforts. As the repository of all CMS qualityeasures, the QMIS allows users to search for a partic-

lar measure and view detailed information regarding theechnical specifications, justification, and history of theeasure. In subsequent releases, the QMIS will allow

sers to track the selection, development, implementa-ion, and maintenance of health care quality measures.

The new Web-based tool was created in conjunction with

ther CMS efforts to develop a more coherent, transparent

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Practice Strategies 431

ystem for measuring the quality of care provided to itseneficiaries. The new Measure Management SystemMMS) was launched earlier this year to streamline andtandardize management of the more than 250 health careuality measures currently utilized by the CMS.“With an ever-increasing number and variety of qualityeasures being used for quality improvement and public

eporting purposes, our long-term goal is to ensure that theeasures are scientifically sound, valid, reliable, and useful

n improving the quality of healthcare,” said Jacquelynosh-Suber, CMS Government Task Leader for the MMS.The CMS uses quality measures to assess performance of

ealth care providers ranging from managed care plans toialysis centers, hospitals, nursing homes, home healthgencies, and physician offices. Future quality measurementctivities are planned for prescription drug plans and otherealth care settings, Kosh-Suber said.The release of the QMIS will allow health care prac-

ices to review online the CMS health care quality mea-ures used under the Medicare PQRI, including the 8easures related to eye care (see “2007 Medicare Phy-

ician Quality Reporting Initiative [PQRI] specificationsor eye care” in the Practice Strategies section of the Julydition of Optometry: Journal of the American Optomet-ic Association). (When the Web site was announceday 1, it still listed only the 39 measures used last year

nder Medicare’s Physician Voluntary Reporting Project;owever, documentation for additional CMS measuressed under the PQRI will be added to the QMIS in theoming months, Kosh-Suber noted.) Quality measurespplicable to hospitals, under the Hospital Quality Alli-nce and Reporting Hospital Quality Data for Annualayment Update initiatives, are also available on the site.he QMIS can be accessed from the Quality Improve-ent tab of the QualityNet Web page or by logging on

irectly at www.qualitynet.org/qmis.

uality improvement Web siteor those seeking a greater understanding of health careuality management, the CMS Medicare Quality Improve-ent Community (MedQIC, pronounced “Medquick”) Web

ite (www.MedQIC.org) is designed to support quality im-rovement organizations and health care providers in find-ng, using, and sharing quality improvement resources. TheMS developed the site to promote its Medicare Quality

mprovement Program and support its contractors, theedicare QIOs, in helping Medicare providers “deliver the

ight care to every Medicare beneficiary, every time,” ac-ording to an agency statement. The site provides easyccess to quality improvement resources and to “a commu-ity of professionals sharing knowledge and experiences toccelerate health care quality improvement across the na-ion,” according to the agency.

MedQIC is designed around Medicare’s National Qual-ty Improvement Priority Topics. The site was launchedn January 2003 to support the Health Care Quality

mprovement Program (HCQIP). The HCQIP was initi- h

ted in 1992 as a new approach to improving the healthf Medicare beneficiaries. The HCQIP involves analyz-ng data from various sources and changing the patternsf care to remedy widespread shortcomings in the healthare system. In 2004, MedQIC was redesigned through aartnership with the Institute for Healthcare Improve-ent (IHI) to use a structure and organization similar toww.IHI.org. The redesigned MedQIC was publicly

aunched in 2005 and will be refined continually to meetts end-users’ needs.

Providers and QIOs can adapt and use the materialsrovided at this site to implement transformational change.he CMS provides the searchable online resource center toupport activities to improve health care in a variety ofettings. All of the content posted on MedQIC is reviewednd submitted by Quality Improvement Organization Sup-ort Centers.“MedQIC fosters a community-based approach to quality

mprovement,” according to a CMS statement. “The infor-ation found on MedQIC includes provider and QIO inter-

entions that can change processes, structures, or behaviorsn health care settings. In addition, various tools, literature,nd success stories are available for MedQIC users to studynd implement in their own quality improvement efforts.”he site provides a list of Medicare QIOs with contact

nformation.

edicare Learning Network offersedSearch featureealth care providers with questions on Medicare billing

an now seek guidance using a new MedSearch feature inhe Medicare Learning Network (MLN) section of theMS Web site. The CMS regularly issues MLN articles

o provide health care practitioners with timely, easy-to-nderstand information on new or revised Medicare Pro-ram policies. A new full-text search function enablessers to find information by entering a topic or generalubject (rather than a formal article title or number). Theearch features scan titles and texts of articles for theequired information. MLN articles are organized by yearf issue on the Web site. The search option is located athe top of the pages cataloging the articles. Health careroviders can log on to the MLN Web pages at www.ms.hhs.gov/MedlearnMattersarticles.

ideo outlines Medicare preventiveervicesn Overview of Medicare Preventive Services for Physi-ians, Providers, Suppliers, and Other Health Care Profes-ionals, a new educational video program from the CMS,rovides information on Medicare-covered preventive ser-ices and risk factors associated with various preventableiseases and highlights the importance of prevention, detec-ion, and early treatment of disease. The program is in-ended to help physicians, providers, suppliers, and other

ealth care professionals learn more about preventive ben-

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432 Practice Strategies

fits covered by Medicare. Running approximately 75 min-tes in length, the program is suitable for individual viewingr for use in conjunction with a conference or trainingession. The video is available in DVD or VHS format. Torder, log onto the CMS Web site Medicare Learning

etwork Product Ordering page at http://cms.meridianksi. A

om/kc/main/kc_frame.asp?kc_ident�kc0001&loc�5. (Fornformation on materials designed to help educate patientsn Medicare preventive services, see “Public education onedicare preventive services” in the Practice Strategies

ection of the June issue of Optometry: Journal of the

merican Optometric Association.)