The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new statement of work (SOW) for Medicare's 53 quality improvement organizations (QIOs) effective August 1st. The work plan incorporates recent recommendations by the Institute of Medicine and the Government Accountability Office that QIOs focus more on protecting Medicare patients, patient care transitions, patient safety and prevention. The organizations will be required to provide direct quality improvement support to nursing homes, hospitals and physician offices, use standardized tools, and meet periodic milestones to maintain their contracts.

Details on the SOW can be found by visiting http://www.cms.hhs.gov/QualityImprovementOrgs/04_9thsow.asp.