Information & Quality Healthcare

The Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Mississippi

Information & Quality Healthcare (IQH), a not-for-profit corporation chartered in 1971 in Mississippi, serves as the federally designated Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for the state. IQH works under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve the quality of health care for Medicare beneficiaries. By serving as a resource for the state's health care providers and for Medicare beneficiaries, IQH fulfills its mission by providing leadership and consultative services to ensure that all Mississippians receive the right care at the right time, care that is safe, effective, efficient and timely.

IQH has been a resource and catalyst for health care improvement in Mississippi for over 35 years. The IQH vision is for a health care system that has the capacity to continually improve care and outcomes for the state's citizens. IQH professionals include physicians, nurses, health information administrators, data analysts and other quality experts working in teams to achieve the strategic goals of transforming health care in Mississippi.

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

The Colon Cancer Alliance has designated Friday, March 5, as "Dress in Blue Day" to promote awareness about colorectal cancer and to encourage people to get screened. In addition to "Dress in Blue Day," the entire month of March has been designated as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reminds health care professionals that Medicare provides coverage for certain colorectal cancer screenings. Screening can help prevent and detect colorectal cancer in its earliest stages when outcomes are most favorable.

FDA Unveils Safe Use Initiative

FDA NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Nov. 4, 2009

Media Inquiries: Karen Riley, 301-796-4674, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the Safe Use Initiative, a program aimed at reducing the likelihood of preventable harm from medication use.

“Too many people suffer unnecessary injuries from avoidable medication misuse, errors and other problems. The FDA is launching the Safe Use Initiative to develop targeted solutions for reducing these injuries,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D.

Millions of people are harmed every year from inappropriate medication use. Many injuries occur as a result of incomplete access to information about a drug, a patient, or the patient’s condition.

Mississippi Health First

MEDICARE LAUNCHES MISSISSIPPI HEALTH FIRST COLLABORATIVE FOR DIABETES CARE IN COMMUNITY SETTINGS
{Clarion- Ledger, January 26, 2010 - "Initiative helps diabetics learn to manage disease"}
A statewide effort to improve care for patients with diabetes across Mississippi, particularly for patients considered to be “medically underserved ,” was announced October 29, 2009, by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The initiative is called the Mississippi Health First Collaborative.

As part of the Collaborative, patients will receive diabetes self-management training in their home communities, in locations such as community centers or senior centers, instead of in hospitals or other traditional health care settings, such as doctors’ offices or outpatient clinics. The members of this Collaborative will help motivate and educate diabetes patients across the state to take preventive action against some of the complications of diabetes. Patients will get diabetes self-management training classes and health education literature on how to best control their blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels; establish relationships with primary-care providers; address better nutrition, regular exercise and how housing arrangements for patients can affect their health; and develop support networks of family, friends, and community-based social services.

FDA Takes Actions on Darvon, Other Pain Medications Containing Propoxyphene

FDA News Release

For Immediate Release: July 7, 2009

Media Inquiries: Karen Riley, 301-796-4674; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking several actions to reduce the risk of overdose in patients using pain medications such as Darvon and Darvocet that contain propoxyphene. The actions were taken because of data linking propoxyphene and fatal overdoses.

The agency is requiring manufacturers of propoxyphene-containing products to strengthen the label, including the boxed warning, emphasizing the potential for overdose when using these products. These manufacturers will also be required to provide a medication guide to patients stressing the importance of using the drugs as directed.

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