“Quality” - The Golden Rulefor Kansas Rural Health Care

Kansas Rural Health Options Project

State Network Council Meeting - August 2006

Gloria Vermie RN, MPH, Director – State Office of Rural Health, KDHE

- Briefing -

Quality from the perspective of:

• KS State Office of Rural Health

• National Associations

• Federal Agencies

State Office of Rural Health

• Direct State & Federal funding and resources

• Integrate national best-practices and policies

• Coordinate opportunities and collaborations• Advocate and Support Rural Health Issues

4 Quality Pearls

• We are in an era of Consumer driven health care – “baby boomers”

• Quality is not a clinical or administrative issue – it is a leadership issue

• Quality will assure the mission

Quality Pearls (cont.)

• By collaborating with others--- we have the opportunity to define quality rather than have it thrust upon us

PARTNERSHIP FOR QUALITY

PARTNERSHIP FOR QUALITY

Quality at the Federal Level

Dept of Health & Human Services (HHS)• HRSA has a Quality Board that meets

regularly - “keep quality issues on center stage”

• Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)• HIT• Quality• Performance Measures

Quality Outcome – or“Staying foxy in the sun”

•Quality in practice balances powerful theory with a heavy dose of practical application for hospitals.

•It helps you reshape and define your business strategies and management philosophy and to reflect any new definitions of quality practice.

Quality Initiatives in Kansas

Array of programs and projects

Information from Kansas experts:

• Sally Perkin - Kansas Hospital Association• Jason Friesen - Pioneer Health Network• Lori Howard - Kansas Foundation for Medical

Care