The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services will award up to $500 million of Affordable Care Act funding to ‘hospital engagement contractors’ for technology-backed programs, training and monitoring to help hospitals and providers improve care.
The CMS’s Innovation Center will administer the funding, which is part of the public-private Partnership for Patients program. The partnership plans to contract with large healthcare systems, associations and state organizations.
The program aims to stop millions of preventable injuries and complications related to healthcare-acquired conditions and unnecessary readmissions. Contractors will
- Provide technical assistance for hospitals and care providers
- Design intensive programs to teach and support hospitals in making care safer
- Establish and implement a system to track and monitor hospital progress in meeting quality improvement goals
- Conduct trainings for hospitals and care providers
CMS will also be working with other contractors to develop and share ideas and practices that improve patient safety
“Since the Partnership for Patients was announced, we have had an overwhelming response from hospitals, doctors, employers and other partners who want to be a part of this historic effort to improve patient safety, ” said CMS Administrator Dr. Donald M. Berwick. “We are now looking to contract with local and statewide entities that can foster and support hospitals’ efforts to improve healthcare and reduce harm to patients.
