FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For Further Information Contact:
Reggi Veatch
Senior Communications Manager
veatchr@dfmc.org
410-872-9646

All District of Columbia Adult Acute Care Hospitals Receive
2010 Medicare Annual Payment Update

Washington, DC, October 27, 2009 –The Delmarva Foundation of the District of Columbia (DFDC) is pleased to announce all adult acute care hospitals in the District of Columbia have satisfactorily met the requirements for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS') Reporting Hospital Quality Data for Annual Payment Update (RHQDAPU). 

The RHQDAPU initiative requires hospitals to submit data for specific quality measures for health conditions common among people with Medicare, and which typically result in hospitalization.  The following seven hospitals meet the RHQDAPU program requirements for fiscal year 2010:  

• Georgetown University Hospital
• George Washington University Hospital
• Howard University Hospital
• Providence Hospital
• Sibley Memorial Hospital
• United Medical Center
• Washington Hospital Center

Over the past year, all seven eligible hospitals have worked with the Delmarva Foundation of the District of Columbia, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for the District of Columbia to achieve this benchmark.  DFDC assisted hospitals with questions relating to their data or technical support and provided education related to data submission. 

"The RHQDAPU initiative is intended to equip consumers with quality of care information to make more informed decisions about their health care," said Carmen Tyler Winston, MHSA, BSN, BA, Executive Director, Delmarva Foundation of the District of Columbia.  "Delmarva is proud to have supported the District hospitals to achieve the Annual Payment Update while encouraging the hospitals and clinicians to improve the quality of inpatient care provided to all patients."

Hospitals that do not participate in the RHQDAPU initiative will receive a reduction of 2.0 percent in their Medicare Annual Payment Update for fiscal year 2010. To avoid the reduction in their Annual Payment Update, hospitals must meet specific requirements outlined in the RHQDAPU participation steps for FY 2010.

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About Delmarva Foundation of the District of Columbia
Delmarva Foundation of the District of Columbia (DFDC) is the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for the District of Columbia.  DFDC is under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), to improve the quality of health care for the District's 74,000 plus Medicare beneficiaries.  Delmarva provides a range of services, including the development of interventional processes, convening healthcare organizations and stakeholders, fostering the spread of clinical or community practices that improve patient safety and healthcare delivery, and lessening the healthcare disparities that exists in our healthcare system. For more information, visit www.dcqio.org.