Healthcare is changing and three Kansas critical access hospitals are leading the way in best practices when inpatient quality reporting (IQR) is compared. The IQR program encourages CAH facilities to voluntarily report data for care they provide their patients with acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, pneumonia and surgical infection prevention.
Critical access hospitals in the state of Kansas are not required to report data at this time. But as healthcare continues to evolve, the requirement to report data is just around the corner as consumers demand a more transparent system where hospital data can not only be viewed but also ranked in terms of care.

Allen County Hospital, Iola, Kan., Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center, Chanute, Kan., and Girard Medical Center, Girard, Kan., are ahead of the pack in their initiative to voluntarily report in the IQR program. The Kansas Foundation for Medical Care has looked to these three facilities to share best practices with other critical access hospitals in the state. “There are three similar practices surrounding quality of care outcomes these facilities have in common and these practices are ingrained in the staff and viewed as priorities from the CEO to the frontline,” said Nadyne Hagmeier, Project Manager at KFMC, and works directly with Kansas hospitals on reporting initiatives. Those common practices include service excellence, quality of care priorities and patient safety and are at the top of all meeting agendas.

We are committed to not only providing exceptional service to our patients,” said Mike Payne, CEO of Girard Medical Center, “but to also be compassionate to those patients and their families who entrust us with their care. We are confident that patients will find here a full array of high quality services in a very caring atmosphere.”  By incorporating the best medicine and empowering the patient to be part of that care, these three hospitals are leading the way and sharing successful strategies with other facilities within the state. Thus, improving care for all Kansans.

To see how your local hospital compares, visit medicare.gov/hospitalcompare.

The Kansas Foundation for Medical Care (KFMC) is the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO), the Regional Extension Center (REC) and External Quality Review Organization (EQRO) for the state of Kansas. Throughout various contracts, our role is to work with healthcare providers and organizations to develop ways to improve the use of health information technology (HIT) and the quality of healthcare provided to all Kansas healthcare consumers. To learn more, visit kfmc.org.