Helpful Links

HIPAA Compliance

HIPAA & Mental Health
The HHS.gov website provides guidance for Mental Health with downloadable tools and articles.

HIPAA Standards
HIPAA for Professionals outlines the HIPAA standards, policies and rules governing providers who provide mental health services.

HIPAA Online Training
These training modules help State Attorneys General and their staff understand how pursue civil action for HIPAA violations.

HIPAA Helps Caregiving Connections
Mental health professionals can get a better understanding of how HIPAA allows for decision-making that prevents harm.

Confused by Confidentiality
A summarization of FAQs outlining the privacy provisions of 42 CFR Part 2.

Confidentiality Regulations FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and Fact Sheets

Substance Use Best Practice Tool Guide
The HHS.gov website provides guidance for State Attornys General for enforcing HIPAA laws, rules and requirements.

HIPAA Opioid Crisis
Understand how HIPAA allows healthcare professionals to respond to the Opioid Crisis to knowing what health information can be disclosed without a patient’s permission.

Newly QPP Eligible Clinicians
Fact Sheet – Are you one of the newly eligible clinicians in the CMS Quality Payment Program?

Guide to Reducing Disparities in Readmissions
Our nation aims to deliver equitable care that is safe, efficient, effective, and patient-centered. An entire set of structures has been developed to facilitate increased access to cost-effective and high-quality care. Pursuing high-value healthcare is the ultimate goal, and health care provider organizations across the country are faced with the daunting challenge of succeeding—and perhaps just surviving—while delivering care to increasingly diverse populations.

Advancing Successful Care Transitions to Improve Outcomes
SHM’s Center for Quality Improvement provides hospitals and care teams with comprehensive resources and implementation tools that enable hospitalists to improve and enhance their care transitions.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
AHRQ creates materials to teach and train healthcare systems and professionals to help them improve care for their patients.

Community-based Care Transitions Program
The Community-based Care Transitions Program (CCTP) tested models for improving care transitions from the hospital to other settings and reducing readmissions for high-risk Medicare beneficiaries. The goals of the CCTP were to improve transitions of beneficiaries from the inpatient hospital setting to other care settings, to improve quality of care, to reduce readmissions for high-risk beneficiaries, and to document measurable savings to the Medicare program.

The Conversation Project
Project dedicated to helping people talk about their wishes for end-of-life care.

The Care Transitions Program
Program provides insights and tools for how to improve quality and manage risk during care hand-overs.

Home Health Quality Improvement
National Campaign dedicated to improving the quality of care provided to America’s home health patients. This site has evidence-based tools, timely data reports and a wealth of ongoing educational opportunities.

National Transitions of Care Coalition
Organization dedicated to addressing the serious issues and concerns related to transitions of care.

Center for Excellence in Assisted Living
A unique collaborative of 9 diverse national organizations that work closely together to promote excellence in assisted living. FInd current resources covering a wide array of information including research reports, training materials, consumer information, case studies, consensus documents and more to foster and promote quality improvement.

Links

Guidance on Care Management Services for Physicians
Comprehensive CMS Website Resources on Care Management

Million Hearts® Initiative
Curated cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment resources

Best Practices for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Programs: A Guide to Effective Health Care System Interventions and Community-Clinical Links
Guide developed by the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Connected Care Campaign Resource Hub
CMS resources for health care professionals who wish to implement Chronic Care Management

National Kidney Foundation
Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for all stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD)

High Blood Pressure Fact Sheet
Fact Sheets from the CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention

Pulmonary Hypertension Fact Sheet
Fact Sheets from the CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention

5 Surprising Facts About High Blood Pressure
CDC Feature

Pharmacy-Based Cardiovascular Disease Risk Management Certificate Training Program
Interactive certificate training program about the pharmacist’s role in cardiovascular disease risk management.

Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (CDC)
Consumer Website from the CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention

Tobacco Free Life
Consumer website from the nonprofit Tobacco-Free Life Organization

Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: Quick Reference Guide for Clinicians
AHRQ summarizes the guideline strategies for providing appropriate treatments for every patient

Smokefree.gov
Consumer resources for older smokers

Stop Smoking
Consumer resources from the American Lung Association

Metastar Online Blood Pressure Modules
Blood pressure competency training for clinicians and staff

Utah Million Hearts Coalition Hypertension Diagnosis and Treatment
Resources for Clinical Staff and Patients: It is possible to improve the accuracy of high blood pressure diagnosis and high blood pressure control rates and reduce office workload.
https://healthinsight.org/bloodpressure

3-Minute Foot Exam
Demonstration video

American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA)
Don’t Lose Your Nerve to Diabetes resources

Medicare Coverage of Diabetes Supplies & Services (PDF)
Podiatry and therapeutic shoe coverage requirements

Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support for Adults with type 2 Diabetes Algorithm of Care (critical times to refer for DSMES)
From Joint Position Statement of the American Diabetes Association, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Diabetes
Including: the Comprehensive Type 2 Diabetes Management Algorithm (2019); AACE Protocol for Standardized Production of Clinical Practice Guidelines, Algorithms, and Checklists – 2017 Update and AACE/ACE Clinical Practice Guidelines for Developing a Diabetes Mellitus Comprehensive Care Plan – © 2015

American Diabetes Association. Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes-2019
Diabetes Care 2019 Jan; 42 (Supplement 1): S1-S2

Working Together to Manage Diabetes
A Toolkit for Pharmacy, Podiatry, Optometry, and Dentistry

2017 Multi-Society Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults
A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines

American Academy of Family Physicians TIPS
Free quality improvement for office visits, data registries, empanelment, team documentation, continuity of care)

AMA – Managing Type 2 Diabetes: A Team-Based Approach
CE Module on Team Based Care for Type 2, an excellent resource for clinicians

American College of Cardiology – Blood Cholesterol: Guideline on the Management of
Quick reference items break the guidelines down into easy-to-use summaries. Test your in-depth knowledge of this guideline with CME, CE and MOC educational activities.
https://bit.ly/2Njgsdp

2019 Multi-Society Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease
A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association

Evidence-Based Protocols (for Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Tobacco Cessation)
Find standardized, evidence-based protocols for use in your practice. When embedded in electronic health records, treatment protocols can serve as clinical decision support at the point of care so no opportunities are missed to achieve control.

American Medical Association/American Heart Association Target BP
Target: BP™ is a national initiative formed by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) in response to the high prevalence of uncontrolled blood pressure (BP).

Current CMS Quality Measures
This tool has been created to help you get familiar with the different measures you can submit and prepare for the year.

National Diabetes Prevention Program Locator
Find an online or in-person program.

Downloads

Blood Thinner Pills: Your Guide to Using Them Safely

Content coming soon.

Empowered Patient Coalition
Organization created by patient advocates devoted to helping the public improve the quality and the safety of their healthcare. Find patient safety resources, support for caregivers, and current projects on the site.

Care Transitions Program
As a patient or family caregiver, there are several steps you can take to help you be a more informed and effective member of the care team during the transition back home after hospitalization. By knowing what to expect, you may be able to avoid health care complications and re-hospitalization.

Patients Like Me
Find a community, ask questions, and make informed decisions about your healthcare journey.

AARP Family Caregiving Resources
Collection of resources and articles to educate and support caregivers.

Consumer Med Safety
Resources to help you protect yourself from medication errors.

American Heart Association
The nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke.

Quality Care Finder
Find and compare doctors, hospitals and other providers.

Tips from Former Smokers
Real stories from people living with smoking-related diseases, quitting resources and more.

National Kidney Foundation
National Kidney Foundation is a lifeline for all people affected by kidney disease. As pioneers of scientific research and innovation, NKF focuses on the whole patient through the lens of kidney health. Relentless in our work, we enhance lives through action, education and accelerating change.

American Diabetes Association
Regardless of where you are with diabetes—newly diagnosed, fighting type 1 or type 2, or being there for a loved one—there’s something you should know: help is here.

CDC Diabetes Hub
Compilation of resources, articles, and advice from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nutrition
A gateway to reliable resources on food, healthy eating, physical activity and food safety. Find links to information from Federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and universities with expertise in food and human nutrition to help you make healthful eating choices.

MyPlate
Get tips, ideas, and a personalized plan to meet your food group targets. Find what works for you and your family within your food preferences, health goals, and budget.

Stroke Smart
Resources and community for stroke survivors and family members.

Preventing Falls for Older Adults
Falls affect us all—whether personally or someone we love or care about. There are simple steps you can take to prevent falls and decrease falls risks. CDC developed the STEADI (Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries) initiative which includes educational materials and tools to improve fall prevention.

Questions To Ask Your Doctor
Your health depends on good communication.

Vaccines You Need as an Adult
You may not realize that you need vaccines throughout your life. Adults need to keep their vaccinations up to date because immunity from childhood vaccines can wear off over time. You are also at risk for different diseases as an adult. Vaccination is one of the most convenient and safest preventive care measures available.

HealthMap Vaccine Finder
Find the vaccine you need in your area quickly.

CMS Nursing Home Quality Initiative
This website provides consumer and provider information regarding the quality of care in nursing homes.

INTERACT Tools
Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers (INTERACT) is a quality improvement program that focuses on the management of acute change in resident condition.

CDC Nursing Home and Assisted Living
Resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Find clinical staff tools, patient safety resources, infection prevention tools, and more.

TeamSTEPPS
From the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), TeamSTEPPS is an evidence-based teamwork system aimed at optimizing patient care by improving communication and teamwork skills among health care professionals, including frontline staff. It includes a comprehensive set of ready-to-use materials and a training curriculum to successfully integrate teamwork principles into a variety of settings.

Model for Improvement
Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) shares its model for improvement that is simple, yet powerful.

Center for Excellence in Assisted Living
A unique collaborative of 9 diverse national organizations that work closely together to promote excellence in assisted living. Find current resources covering a wide array of information including research reports, training materials, consumer information, case studies, consensus documents and more to foster and promote quality improvement.

CDC Opioids Portal
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s resource hub for opioid data, tools and news.

CDC Opioid Overdose
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s resource hub for opioid overdose information.

CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
CDC developed and published the Guideline to provide recommendations for the prescribing of opioid pain medication for patients 18 and older in primary care settings.

CDC Training for Providers on Opioids
Interactive training series and a webinar series on the Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain.

HHS Opioids
Help, resources and information on the national opioid crisis from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Be Opioid Aware
A compilation of resources designed to help providers and patients learn more about opioids.

World Health Organization – Patient Safety
Clear policies, organizational leadership capacity, data to drive safety improvements, skilled health care professionals and effective involvement of patients in their care, are all needed to ensure sustainable and significant improvements in the safety of health care.

Institute for Healthcare Improvement – Patient Safety
Find training, downloadable resources, and tools on this site from IHI.

The Joint Commission – Patient Safety
These patient safety-focused initiatives encourage and support organizations in their efforts to make patient safety a continuous priority.

PSNet
PSNet from AHRQ highlights the latest patient safety literature, news, and expert commentary, including weekly updates, WebM&M, Patient Safety Primers, and more.

Patient Safety Movement
The Patient Safety Movement Foundation believes reaching ZERO preventable deaths in hospitals is not only the right goal, but an attainable one with the right people, ideas, and technology. Many pieces of the puzzle already exist. Solving this problem is a matter of connecting the dots.

Downloads

Newly QPP Eligible Clinicians
Fact Sheet – Are you one of the newly eligible clinicians in the CMS Quality Payment Program?

2020 MIPS Quick Start Guide
A Brief Quick Start Guide to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 2020

The Quality Payment Program Overview Fact Sheet
Comprehensive Website Resource Library for the Quality Payment Program

How We Can Help You Succeed in the Quality Payment Program
Fact Sheet outlining how Qsource supports eligible clinical practices with technical assistance contact information.

Preparing for MIPS in the Small Group Practice: Webinar Questions & Answers
Webinar Questions & Answers from June 2017

Podcasts, Videos and Webinars

QPP Office Hours (01-22-2020)
Download Podcast (.mp3)

MIPS 2020 Final Rule Changes
Download Podcast (.mp3)

What Is the Eligible Applicability Process?
Download Podcast (.mp3)

Patient Relationship Codes and Categories
Download Podcast (.mp3)

Taking the Anxiety Out of Security Risk Assessments (SRAs)
Preparing for and performing a Security Risk Assessment (SRA) can cause considerable anxiety, but not if you are prepared. It is very important to complete an SRA annually for your practice. If there is a data breach and an SRA has not been performed, then you are more likely to face a fine/penalty and or other sanctions. Be sure you have the tools and knowledge you need.  Watch here

Understanding Alternative Payment Models
An Alternative Payment Model (APM) is a payment approach that combines cost efficiencies and quality metrics into its reimbursement method to providers. Learn why more small practices are now participating. Watch here: Understanding Alternative Payment Models

The Security Risk Assessment: Basics for Reporting:
Download Podcast (.mp3)

Get Credit for Something You May Already Be Doing
How would you like to get Quality Payment Program credit for a process you may already have in place? You may merely need to review and update your existing process. IA_PSPA_6 Consultation of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program is an improvement activity in which many providers are already participating. Listen to this new four-minute podcast to learn what is recommended for documenting for auditing purposes and how to run the reports recommended you retain in either the TN and AL prescription drug monitoring programs. Download Podcast (.mp3): Improvement Activity – Consultation of the Prescription Monitoring Database

Download: Consultation of the Prescription Monitoring Database Transcript (.pdf)

Video: MIPS Claims Based Quality Measures Projections and Results

Video: Group and/or Individual Data Submission for MIPS

Webinar Recording: Preparing for MIPS in the Small Group Practice