Meet the Team 

October is American Pharmacists Month. In observation, we'd like you to meet Anne Myrka RPh, MAT, Senior Director of Drug Safety and Chronic Disease Management for IPRO.

 

Anne has been in the healthcare field for 30 years. Her experience includes roles in hospitals, community pharmacies, nursing homes and assisted living consulting, home healthcare medication management, and academia.

 

She has presented nationally about high-risk medication management, care transitions, and medication reconciliation, and has co-authored multiple peer-reviewed journal articles on these topics. Anne is committed to educating and supporting healthcare facilities.

 

As a contractor under the CMS QIN-QIO program, the IPRO QIN-QIO has experts like Anne available to assist you at no charge.



Learn more about working together to make our communities healthier.



Upcoming Education

IPRO QIN-QIO High-Risk Medication Safety Monthly Learning Circle


November 2, 2 - 3 pm ET and the first Wednesday of each month


November 2 Topic: Open discussion on what YOU need to manage your high-risk medications – we are prepared to focus on opioids, anticoagulation, diabetes meds, med rec, antibiotic stewardship, antipsychotics

  • IPRO will provide audit tools, review your data, assist with tools, resources and education
  • Goal is rapid improvement with short Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles of improvement


How to Join: No pre-registration required.

Email [email protected] to receive a calendar invitation. 


Clostridioides difficile: Sharing Best Practices and Outcomes Achieved


October 5, 1 - 2 pm ET


Speaker: Ghinwa Dumyati, MD, Director Communicable Diseases Surveillance and Prevention Program, University of Rochester Medical Center. 


In this session, you will learn to:

  • List the most recent treatment guidelines for C. difficile infection
  • Identify the role of diagnostic stewardship in optimizing C. difficile testing
  • Describe the importance of communication across care transitions in improving the management of patients with C. difficile infection


NOTE: 1 contact hour of ACPE accredited continuing pharmacist education awarded to participants


Vax Chat


October 6, 7:45 - 8 am ET


Topic: Bivalent COVID Booster

This week's chat covers the recently released bivalent COVID Booster.


Join Vax Chat every other Thursday morning.


IP3: Infection Prevention for Infection Preventionists by an Infection Preventionists (Office Hours)


October 6, 11 - 11:30 am ET


CMS National Nursing Home Stakeholder Call


October 6, 4 pm ET


Long-term care providers, facility staff and resident advocates are encouraged to attend. This event is open to the public; registration is required.

Resource Library

Curated by our experts, the IPRO QIN-QIO resource library contains tools, links and information on everything from care coordination to COVID-19, CKD to social determinants of health. Use the Resource Picker to find what you need, or check out this month's featured resources:


Naloxone Saves Lives is a patient education document that describes what Naloxone is, how it works, why it is offered to individuals with an opioid prescription, and signs of opioid overdose.

 

Effective and person-centered care is key to supporting the overall health of adults who are experiencing physical, behavioral and/or social needs. Our Complex Care Compendium: A Guide to Support Better Outcomes for People with Complex Needs highlights emerging practices in the field that help improve care delivery, reduce avoidable hospital utilization and lead to healthier outcomes for patients. 

Opioid, Pain Management, and Behavioral Health

October Observances include National Check Your Meds Day on October 21 and DEA Drug Takeback Day on October 29 – Both are designed to enhance medication safety. In addition, October is American Pharmacist Month. Brush up by watching "Opioid & Pain Management Best Practices, Strategies for Success," presented by Kara Harrer, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy, Calvert Health, Maryland.

Emergency Prep, Infection Control, and Patient Safety 

Take 5 minutes to help keep your residents safe...

In less time than it takes to…

  • grab a cup of coffee,
  • answer an email,
  • park your car,
  • or scan the morning headlines

...you can help ensure that your residents and visitors remain safe during an emergency.


Please complete this 5-minute survey today.


CMS issues updated Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic


This updated guidance applies to all U.S. settings where healthcare is delivered, including nursing homes and home health.


CMS Issues Revised Visitation Guidelines for Nursing Homes


The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued updated guidance for nursing homes regarding indoor visitation, outdoor visitation, dining and communal activities, and more. Read or download the full CMS memorandum.


Download our Safe Visitor Policy Template for Nursing Homes to review and modify to meet the needs of your facility and comply with your state regulations.

Immunizations

  • Influenza vaccine recommendations are published with CDC recommending the high-dose flu vaccine for adults 65 and older. This dose provides increased protection against serious outcomes from the flu virus. 
  • An updated COVID-19 booster vaccine is now available. This bivalent dose provides protection against the original COVID-19 virus as well as the Omicron variant strains that are currently circulating.



For resources and strategies, check out our updated Influenza, Pneumococal and COVID-19 Immunization Toolkit, and watch Great Shot! Making Your Vaccine Campaign a Slam Dunk!

Health Equity

Don't miss our October Health Equity Newsletter, packed with the latest on how you can work to eliminate healthcare disparities. This month, a focus on the role of geographic disparities in health equity, disparities in drug overdose deaths during the pandemic, improving REaL data collection, and more.

Prevention, Management & Care Coordination

Know the ABCDs of Your Medicines is a patient handout designed for transitions of care. For staff, we offer a self-assessment tool to heighten awareness of practices related to the safe use of 11 categories of high-alert medications.

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The IPRO QIN-QIO works to ensure high-quality, safe health care in New England, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.
This material was prepared by the IPRO QIN-QIO, a Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Views expressed in this document do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of CMS or HHS, and any reference to a specific product or entity herein does not constitute endorsement of that product or entity by CMS or HHS. 12SOW-IPRO-QIN-T1-AA-21-435