The annual Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Quality Conference was held this year in Baltimore, Maryland on February 12 – 14. This meeting is attended by more than 2,500 individuals from across the nation. Attendees, representing a diversity of organizations that support the Medicare and Medicaid healthcare delivery system, come together to focus on bringing to life CMS’ national goals and priorities. Network staff and ESRD patients from across the country attended the conference.  This year the ESRD community was recognized nationally for our quality improvement work; specifically for the success of the 18 ESRD Networks and our facility partners across the country in achieving close to a 42% national reduction in bloodstream infections.

Achieving Quality Success

Through Patients Over Paperwork (the theme of this year’s Quality Conference), we’re advancing quality care to establish a system that always put patients first.  Working with the State Medicaid Quality Champions and our many Quality Networks, we’re already making an extraordinary difference:

• Quality efforts are being supported in 12,000 nursing homes, 4,000 hospitals, 400 community coalitions, and more than 500,000 providers
• Quality efforts in just ONE hypertension control network reduced hospital read admissions by 45% and saved more than $33 million
• Quality efforts in 18 ESRD Networks produced an almost 42% national reduction in bloodstream infection.

These are just a few outstanding examples of our shared work to improve quality and safety.  It all deserves a round of applause!  I’m proud and grateful for what we’ve accomplished, but I also know there’s much more to do to build on these extraordinary steps.”