WCMC Recognized For Improving Care

White County Medical Center is one of 27 Arkansas hospitals to earn statewide recognition for improving care for care coordination, obstetrics, venous thromboembolism prophylaxis and prevention of surgical infection.

“We continually strive to provide the highest quality care to our community. Anytime we can participate in initiatives that will improve our patient’s outcomes, it is a win-win for the patient and the hospital,” said Vice President of Patient Services for White County Medical Center LaDonna Johnston, RN.

WCMC earned recognition by meeting the requirements under the Arkansas Medicaid Inpatient Quality Incentive (IQI) program.  The requirements included meeting specific goals for a least 80 percent of the eligible 8 “quality measures,” which are specific aspects of care proven to improve outcomes for patients.  The hospitals also had to pass validation to receive incentive or recognition.

“Receiving an IQI award reflects a lot of hard work by a lot of people,” said Andy Allison, director of Arkansas Medicaid.  “We appreciate the efforts of these 27 hospitals to improve outcomes for their patients.”

Levels of achievement are based on hospital data submitted to the QualityNet Clinical Warehouse, a national repository that stores information about quality of care and the Arkansas Medicaid Abstraction and Reporting Tool (AMART).  The data comes from all healthcare payers, including Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance.

Arkansas Medicaid, the Arkansas Hospital Association and the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care (AFMC) worked together to develop the IQI program, the first pay-for-performance program for hospitals in the nation to include a validation component.  Now in its sixth year, the IQI program has provided more than $26 million in bonus payments to Arkansas hospitals and has earned national recognition for its innovative and healthcare community involvement.

“As an organization WCMC strives continuously to improve the quality and value of healthcare we offer our patients, we are gratified that AFMC/Arkansas Medicaid acknowledges our efforts to improve the quality of care we deliver. This award speaks to the level of commitment our associates have demonstrated to achieve performance excellence for our patients and our community,” said Director of Case Management and Performance Improvement for White County Medical Center Connie Taylor, RN.

The IQI program has positioned Arkansas as a leader in national Medicaid pay-for-performance efforts.  The initiative represents a growing national movement toward rewarding hospitals for their commitment to quality and providing evidence-based care to their patients.