3 thoughts on nationwide quality improvement from CMS' Dr. Patrick Conway

Patrick Conway, MD, serves as the acting principal deputy administrator and deputy administrator for innovation and quality for CMS, as well as serving as the agency's CMO. In a recent Q&A with QIO News, he touched on accomplishments made in health quality improvement, what successes Quality Improvement Organizations have made and what the future holds, among other topics.

Below are three thoughts from Dr. Conway, pulled from the Q&A.

1. The quality of care provided to patients nationwide has improved. "In the last three years, we experienced a 17 percent reduction in harm, corresponding to about 50,000 lives saved, 1.3 million unnecessary patient harms avoided and $12 billion in cost savings."

2. Patient engagement is of upmost importance. "We are focused on engaging patients in every step of the healthcare process," he said, including in developing and implementing quality measures and actively participating in or guiding patient safety committees.

3. Continuous improvement is key. "CMS is trying to build an internal culture of learning and continuous improvement. We encourage everyone to take that approach — to become a true learning organization that is continually improving."

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed Dr. Conway as the acting principal deputy administration of CMS. He is actually the acting principal deputy administrator. We regret this error.

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