HHS-Funding to Improve Care and Prevent Hospital Acquired Infections

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced ACA funding up to $500  million to help health providers improve care. According to HHS, "The Partnership for Patients is a new public-private partnership that will help improve the quality, safety, and affordability of health care for all Americans. The Partnership’s two goals are reducing harm in hospital settings by 40-percent and reducing hospital readmissions by 20- percent over a 3-year period. To achieve these goals, the Partnership is seeking to contract with large health care systems, associations, state organizations, or other interested parties to support hospitals in the hard work of redesigning care processes to reduce harm. “Hospital Engagement Contractors” will be asked to conduct the following:"

• Design intensive programs to teach and support hospitals in making care safer;
• Conduct trainings for hospitals and care providers;
• Provide technical assistance for hospitals and care providers; and
• Establish and implement a system to track and monitor hospital progress in meeting quality improvement goals