HHS is looking for your pandemic success stories
by A.J. Plunkett (aplunkett@decisionhealth.com)
Hundreds, if not thousands, of clinicians, facility engineers, healthcare systems and other care providers have been forced to get creative in order to deal with the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic. And the government wants to hear your success stories.
CMS and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has published a request for information on “Effective and Innovative Approaches/Best Practices in Health Care in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
According to the request, published in the Federal Register November 24, HHS “seeks to gain a comprehensive understanding of the impact of changes adopted by health care systems and health care providers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many healthcare systems and clinicians have rapidly reengineered their policies and programs to improve access, safety, quality, outcomes including mortality and morbidity, cost, and value for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related medical conditions. HHS plans to identify and learn from effective innovative approaches and best practices implemented by non-HHS organizations in order to inform HHS priorities and programs.”
The 15-page request has a lengthy background and description of the information it seeks, with an emphasis on healthcare innovations.
Said HHS: “The main purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is for HHS to gather information on effective innovative approaches and best practices in health care in response to the COVID19 pandemic by non-HHS health care systems and providers. The information provided will help inform and guide the HHS response to build a healthy and resilient nation.”
You have until December 24 to deliver your gift of information to HHS through its Innovation RFI Response Portal at the National Institutes of Health Office of Extramural Research.
The online form has a series of questions that will guide you through your submission.
Anything received after midnight on Christmas Eve will not be accepted. Please note that’s Eastern time.
And when you’re done, send a note to us here at the Accreditation & Quality Compliance Center telling us about the wonderful things you’ve done. We’d love to talk to you and share with your colleagues.
You can email Inside Accreditation & Quality editor A.J. Plunkett at aplunkett@decisionhealth.com. Be sure to put INNOVATION IDEAS in the subject line.