The Health Care and Financing Administration (HCFA) has initiated an ambitious, performance based, national healthcare quality improvement agenda for the Medicare Peer Review Organizations (PROs) during their current three year contract (10/99 - 9/2002). A key component of this national agenda is to reduce health care quality of care disparities among the disadvantaged populations served under Medicare: African Americans, Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders, American Indians & Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, and the Dually Eligible (Medicaid & Medicare eligible). Each PRO is required to design and pursue a healthcare quality improvement project in their state that targets statewide reduction in a disparity experienced by one of the disadvantaged populations in its state. This presentation describes the PRO Network, and summarizes the PRO projects that are being started nationwide, including targeted populations, the clinical topics and quality indicators being addressed, and general intervention approaches. Lessons learned to date will be discussed as will opportunities for identifying possible state coalitions and collaborators addressing similar clinical topics or populations.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to describe what Peer Review Organizationa (PROs) are, and describe what PROs are doing to reduce healthcare disparities among the disadvantaged over the next three years
Keywords: HCFA, Federal Initiatives
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The Health Care and Financing Administration's quality improvement project plans, data collection efforts and partnerships will be discussed
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.