Hospital Quality Improvement Contractor (HQIC)
Rural hospitals face limited budgets and staff often wear multiple hats, leaving little time to focus on quality improvement and patient safety. Sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Hospital Quality Improvement Contractor (HQIC) initiative helped rural critical access hospitals, rural emergency hospitals and other small hospitals with limited resources focus on quality improvement and patient safety efforts. The HQIC initiative also supported hospitals with preparedness for public health emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic, to adopt best practices.
As a subcontractor to Convergence Health Consulting, AIR tracked and analyzed performance data for about 160 rural hospitals to identify hospitals performing well and those requiring assistance. Data collection and analysis contributed to the understanding and promotion of effective rural hospital quality improvement strategies, and AIR-created data reports were used to guide and provide direct technical assistance to individual hospitals needing support. AIR collected quality measures through a variety of sources, including the National Healthcare Safety Network, CMS claims data, and 11 state hospital associations, which gather performance data directly from participating hospitals.
In another project, as a subcontractor to IPRO, AIR helped rural hospitals provide safer care by engaging patients and family in patient-centered safety practices like bedside huddles during shift changes and improved discharge planning. AIR listened to rural hospital concerns, including staff shortages and financial pressures, and found new ways to offer training and tools so rural hospital staff could learn at their own pace and take manageable steps to improve care.
