Kirby Medical Center Honored for Excellence in Quality of Care.

Kirby Medical Center is honored for excellence in quality of care.

MONTICELLO, IL – The Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN) recently recognized Kirby Medical Center for its ongoing commitment to the exceptional quality of care, during a ceremony held on November 18th at the I-Hotel and Conference Center, Champaign, IL.

As part of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Program (MBQIP), Kirby Medical Center and other critical access hospitals were asked to voluntarily participate in four defined domains of quality outcomes. These four domains include Patient Safety/Inpatient; Patient Engagement; Care Transitions; and Outpatient Measures.

“Often, in rural hospitals, having a devoted staff member to abstract and submit this data can be both time-consuming and burdensome,” said Laura Fischer, ICAHN Flex Grant Project Manager. “This hospital realizes how important quality of care and an engaged staff is for its patients…From its top leadership on throughout the facility, each strives for continued quality on a daily basis, and that is what we are celebrating today.”

Kirby Medical Center was recognized for being in the top 10% of all critical access hospitals in the country for exceptional outpatient quality of care as well as exceptional care transitions for all emergency department transfer patients.

“We are very proud of our team for achieving this level of excellence in health quality,” said Steve Tenhouse, CEO, Kirby Medical Center. “This is truly a team effort that recognizes our dedication to delivering a healthcare experience of which our patients and staff can be proud.”

The Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Program began in 2011 as a way for critical access hospitals to demonstrate the quality of care that they provide. This program has continued to evolve, adding new measures and removing outdated ones. In 2016, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy deemed it necessary for CAHs to participate in at least one measure of one domain to receive Flex funding opportunities. Each year, FORHP has increased the level at which the hospital must participate to remain Flex fund eligible.

The Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN), located in Princeton, IL, is a network of 57 small rural Illinois hospitals dedicated to strengthening the operations of its member hospitals through collaboration. The organization is composed of Illinois hospitals that have earned critical access hospital designation by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. ICAHN is recognized nationally for its work with rural healthcare and administers several states, federal, and private healthcare programs.