Englewood, CO – November 7, 2012 – The Colorado Foundation for Medical Care (CFMC) has been awarded a one-year contract by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The project is focused on helping post-acute care providers and hospitals in Northern Colorado use health information technology (HIT) in new ways to improve coordination of care, medication management and overall efficiencies in patient care. The project began in October and will end in late September 2013.

CFMC is one of only three CMS-appointed Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) in the nation selected because of Colorado’s progressive HIT environment and CFMC’s innovative approach to supporting healthcare providers and facilities in their quality improvement and health information technology endeavors.

The project’s goal is to convene medical centers, long-term care facilities and relevant community partners to work together to use standardized patient assessment content, electronic prescribing, medication reconciliation, or electronic medication administration records (eMAR) to help streamline transitions of care, and to electronically transmit those relevant datasets using secure, standardized health information exchange (HIE) protocols. Other goals include reduced medication errors, reduced readmissions, as well as quality improvement around pressure ulcers and cognitive and functional status.

The long-term and post-acute care (LTPAC) setting in healthcare is challenged with misaligned financial incentives, an increasingly heavy burden to participate in a host of initiatives to improve care or change systems, and numerous residents who have complex health challenges. The push for LTPAC facilities to adopt HIT systems – without the “Meaningful Use” incentive payments other healthcare providers are offered – makes the picture even more complex. This project is designed to help eliminate the redundancies these competing priorities create in the capture and use of data.

CFMC will be collaborating with the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO) on the project. In 2011, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) awarded CORHIO a similar three-year contract to improve care and reduce costs for patients transitioning between hospitals, long-term care facilities and other post-acute care providers.

That work is being conducted in areas other than northern Colorado. CORHIO and CFMC will share experiences between the two projects and work with other partners statewide to maximize improvement opportunities. CFMC is also working in partnership with CORHIO’s Regional Extension Center, funded by ONC, to promote HIT integration into clinical practice. The new LTPAC project is connected to an existing CFMC contract with CMS to serve as the Medicare QIO for Colorado.

Colorado Foundation for Medical Care (CFMC) is a healthcare quality improvement organization (QIO) and nonprofit corporation. CFMC works directly with healthcare providers and other partners to improve healthcare quality, outcomes, experience and value for Coloradans. Their vision is to be a world class catalyst for Healthcare Improvement Science through innovation, collaboration and system optimization. More information about CFMC is available at cfmc.org.

About CORHIO

CORHIO, the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization, is dedicated to improving healthcare quality for allColoradans through health information exchange (HIE). As the state designated entity for HIE, CORHIO collaborates with healthcare stakeholders including physicians, hospitals, clinics, public health, long-term care, laboratories, health plans and patients to improve care collaboration through secure systems and processes for sharing clinical information. CO-REC, a CORHIO initiative, assists primary care providers in adopting, implementing and becoming meaningful users of electronic health record (EHR) systems. CORHIO is a not-for-profit supported in large part by grants, including awards from the Colorado Health Foundation and from federal ARRA HITECH funds. CORHIO’s technical infrastructure is built on industry-leading HIE technology developed and maintained by Medicity. For more information about CORHIO, please visit www.corhio.org.
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