IPRO, New York QIO, wins prestigious quality award
Based on Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
What makes an outstanding QIO? It appears that IPRO, the New York Quality Improvement Organization (QIO), knows the answer, as it has just garnered the prestigious Empire State Advantage's (ESA) Empire State Silver Certification. According to IPRO, it is the only award program in the state that is based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria.
The Empire State Silver certification is awarded to organizations that have effective management systems and work processes, are achieving good results, and have developed methods to significantly improve over time.
According to George Hansen, executive director of Empire State Advantage, the folks at IPRO "aim to be a national leader in assessing and improving health care services, and they are well along the way to achieving that vision. They work closely with their customers to define and improve the services that they deliver, and they are registered to the ISO-9001 Quality System Standard.
"IPRO has a very positive work environment with effective employee communications, training, and rewards and recognition, and they enjoy employee turnover rates well below those typical for their industry. IPRO leaders monitor performance regularly using a 'balanced scorecard' approach. All of this has helped IPRO to improve customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and revenue growth over recent years."
Certification important
The ISO-9001 certification is an important one, notes Tierre A. Jeanne-Porter, JD, CPHQ, vice president, planning & quality, for IPRO. "It means you use business management practices that are deemed to be best practices for efficiency and effectiveness," she explains. "We have an internal auditing program, we have controls in place for document and record management, and we have procedures in place to correct problems as soon as we identify them — and even to take steps to prevent them before they occur."
Being knowledgeable about best practices and effective processes puts IPRO in a good position to perform some of the services it provides for hospitals. "In general, QIOs teach hospitals about the best practices they've learned in observing top performing hospitals," says Tom Hartman, an IPRO vice president involved in quality. "We recommend internal processes, paper and electronic tools, and assist hospitals in making the most efficient and effective improvements possible."
Hospitals apparently appreciate that knowledge and sophistication, based on IPRO's customer satisfaction surveys. "Our rate from last year was 98%," reports Jeanne-Porter. "Compared with a national benchmark for hospitals or health care facilities of 73%."
IPRO conducts "robust activity gathering information" on customer and employee satisfaction, adds Spencer Vibbert, vice president of communications and corporate development. "So we can improve every year."
That's a message IPRO continually seeks to communicate, says Jeanne-Porter. "Our customers have the assurance we have strong internal controls in place that allow us to have consistent and uniform approaches to work, and we take immediate action if issues are ever identified," she says. "This advertises to the world that we continually try to be better.
"Since we regularly talk to providers about improving quality, we felt we should be able to walk our own talk," she continues. "That's why we pursued ISO-9001 and challenged ourselves about going after the state award."
"We feel we do a really good job," adds Hartman. "We've developed a reputation over a period of 20 years for being objective, knowledgeable, and an honest broker among the various interest groups and constituencies and cultures."
IPRO, he continues, is trusted by both the physicians' community and hospitals. "Where there were difficulties in communication between the hospitals and the physicians, we've facilitated a better way of communicating," Hartman notes. "We provide the same services for communication between hospitals and nursing homes or home health agencies."
For more information, contact:
Tom Hartman, Vice President, Tierre A. Jeanne-Porter, JD, CPHQ, Vice President, Planning & Quality, Spencer Vibbert, Vice President of Communications and Corporate Development, IPRO. Phone: (516) 326-7767.
What makes an outstanding QIO? It appears that IPRO, the New York Quality Improvement Organization (QIO), knows the answer, as it has just garnered the prestigious Empire State Advantage's (ESA) Empire State Silver Certification.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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