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Release Date : November 5, 2007

Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care Assists in Diabetes Prevention
November is American Diabetes Month. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. Currently, 20.8 million people, or 7 percent of the U.S. population is living with diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Of the 20.8 million, 14.6 million are diagnosed, 6.2 are undiagnosed and at least 54 million additional people have pre-diabetes. The risks increase with age as 20.9 percent of people ages 60 or older have diabetes. Besides risks from the disease itself, persons with diabetes are highly suseptible to serious conditions and complications including cardiovascular disease, stroke, retinopathy, amputation and nephropathy.
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Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care's Practice Cultural Quality Program Increases Multicultural Awareness
Between 1995 and 2025, Illinois will gain one million residents through international migration, according to U.S. Census Bureau projections. Illinois' Hispanic population is the fastest growing minority population – it is expected to increase from 35 million in 2000 to 55 million in 2030. Because cultural and language differences can impact the quality of health care people receive, the increase of the minority population will impact health care in Illinois.
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Release Date : October 3, 2007

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care Works to Educate Illinois Residents About the Importance of Mammograms
As the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for Illinois, the Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care (IFQHC) assists health care providers, including physician offices in promoting quality measures, such as breast cancer screenings. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths, after lung cancer, in the U.S. In addition to October being designated as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October 19 is National Mammography Day. This year, the National Cancer Institute estimates there will be 180,510 new cases of breast cancer and 40,910 breast cancer-related deaths in the U.S. Studies show the earlier breast cancer is detected, the more successful the treatment. Mammograms are still the best way to detect breast cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that mammography screenings can reduce breast cancer deaths by approximately 20 to 35 percent in women 50 to 69 years old. According to the CDC's latest report, the percentage of women 40 and older receiving mammograms declined 1.8 percent between 2000 and 2005, which equals approximately 1.5 million fewer women having mammograms. The CDC also reports that roughly 94 percent of all breast cancers are diagnosed in women age 40 and older.
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Release Date : September 24, 2007

October is Talk About Prescriptions Month, Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care: Working to Improve the Safe Use of Prescription Medication
The Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care (IFQHC), the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for Illinois is working to improve awareness among consumers, especially seniors, about the importance of becoming better educated about their prescription drugs during the National Council on Patient Information and Education's Talk About Prescriptions Month in October. This year's theme "Talk About Prescriptions - It's a Must!" focuses on safe and appropriate medication use and suggests ways older adults, their caregivers, their health care providers and public, private and voluntary organizations can become more involved in improving medication use.
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Release Date : August 31, 2007

PAHL Program Focuses on Mentorship and Learning Between Hospitals
In an effort to promote education, mentorship, and a sense of community among hospitals across state lines, the Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care (IFQHC) launched the Peer Assistance and Health Care Leadership (PAHL) program in March 2007. PAHL is modeled after a pilot project created by Health Care Excel, Indiana’s Quality Improvement Organization (QIO), and developed to provide an environment for health care providers in the SCIP6 (Surgical Care Improvement Project) states (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin) to share successful quality improvement methodologies.
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Release Date : August 9, 2007

Pressure Sores: A Serious Consequence for the Elderly, Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care Assists Nursing Homes in Reducing Pressure Sore Rates
The Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care (IFQHC) partnered with 92 nursing homes throughout the state, over an 18-month period, in an ongoing effort to improve the quality of care for nursing home residents. One of the main emphases in this endeavor was the reduction of pressure sores. Pressure sores are painful skin lesions caused by unrelieved pressure, usually around bony areas. If not properly treated, they can lead to infection and destroy healthy tissue, muscle and bone.
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Release Date : July 5, 2007
Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care Assists Home Health Agencies in the Reduction of Acute Care Hospitalizations
The Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care (IFQHC) has been actively assisting home health agencies to reduce hospitalizations for home health patients. Currently, 52 percent or 395 home health agencies in the state are participating in a year long Home Health Quality Improvement National Campaign that began in January 2007. The goal of the campaign is to reduce the occurence of avoidable acute care hospitalizations (ACH) on the national and state level. Hospitalization can creat unnecessary financial and emotional worries; most people would prefer to stay at home whenever possible rather than being admitted into a nursing home or hospital.
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Release Date : July 2, 2007
Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care Assists Nursing Homes in Easing Depression in Patients
During a 12-month period, The Illinois Foundation for Quality Health Care (IFQHC) partnered with 14 nursing homes throughout the state to help reduce the occurence of depression among residents. The homes participated in quality improvement activities to improve performance on the federally reported Depression Quality Measure, which measures the percent of long-stay residents who are more depressed or anxious since the last time they were assessed.
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