IPRO Milestones - 20 Years of Quality Improvement

1982 | 1984 | 1987 | 1989 | 1990| 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004

1982

The Peer Review Improvement Act of 1982 establishes Peer Review Organizations (PROs), replacing Professional Standards Review Organizations (PSROs), which had provided services to the Medicare and Medicaid programs since 1972.

1984

IPRO is designated the New York State Medicaid Review Agent and Medicare Review Subcontractor for selected downstate counties.

1987

IPRO's New York State Medicaid contract is expanded to the entire downstate area. IPRO opens Albany office.

1989

IPRO is awarded the New York contract for Medicare's 3rd Scope of Work. IPRO's Medicaid Review contract goes statewide.

1990

The New York State Pre-Admission Screening and Annual Resident Review (PASARR) program is initiated.

1991

The New York State AIDS Intervention Management System (AIMS) contract is awarded to IPRO.

IPRO headquarters are relocated to Lake Success, New York.

1992

IPRO receives an Innovation Award from the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) for its study of the new surgical procedure, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and the patterns and causative factors for the disproportionately high rates of serious complications for Medicare patients undergoing the procedure.

1993

The Medicare 4th Scope of Work begins.

1994

IPRO receives a Bureau Director's Citation from the HCFA Health Standards and Quality Bureau for leadership in the Health Care Quality Improvement Program and for the study of the prophylactic use of antibiotics.

The Beneficiary Services Certificate of Merit is awarded to IPRO in recognition of outstanding services in providing information and assistance to the Medicare beneficiaries of the State of New York.

1995

IPRO receives a Certificate of Commendation recognizing "your commitment to Long Island and your leadership and contribution toward the economic growth of the region" from Nassau County Executive Thomas Gulotta.

1996

The Medicare 5th Scope of Work begins.

Westchester County Department of Corrections review services are initiated.

IPRO receives an award from the New York State Office for the Aging "for outstanding service to New York State Medicare beneficiaries and their families through your dedicated support of the Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program."

1997

IPRO obtains National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) HEDIS® Compliance Audit™ Program licensure.

The Medicare national HEDIS® Compliance Audit™ contract is signed.

IPRO is awarded the New Mexico External Quality Review Organization (EQRO) contract.

IPRO's Web site earns a Silver Award in the 14th Annual Healthcare Advertising Awards Competition.

1998

IPRO obtains its first External Appeals contract, with the State of Connecticut.

IPRO joins with the New York Business Group on Health to establish the New York State Health Accountability Foundation.

HCFA awards IPRO a Certificate of Achievement in recognition of IPRO's creativity, hard work and excellence in conducting national Medicare HEDIS® audits.

HCFA presents IPRO with a Certificate of Achievement in recognition of IPRO's participation in local "Vote and Vaccinate" projects designed to increase the level of adult immunizations in New York City.

HCFA presents IPRO with a Beneficiary Services Certificate of Merit for the IPRO Beneficiary/Consumer Liaison Committee's work in producing the BeneProfiles newsletter.

1999

The State of Maryland External Appeals contract is awarded to IPRO.

The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare HEDIS® Compliance Audit™ contract is awarded to IPRO.

New York State Quality Measurement Grant is obtained.

The Medicare 6th Scope of Work begins.

2000

Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC) accreditation for External Appeals activities is obtained.

IPRO CEO Theodore O. Will receives the inaugural James Q. Cannon Memorial Endowment Healthcare Quality Improvement Distinguished Executive Leadership Award from the American Health Quality Association (AHQA).

IPRO's Web site is recognized with a Bronze Award in the World Wide Web Health Awards competition.

IPRO is awarded an Office Director's Citation from the HCFA Office of Clinical Standards and Quality in recognition of its contributions to the development of the Peer Review Organization 6th Scope of Work.

2001

IPRO is awarded the New York State Hospital Compliance with Post-graduate Training Requirements contract.

IPRO is awarded the Early Intervention Program contract.

IPRO receives the HHS Inspector General's Integrity Award for "outstanding teamwork, expertise and dedication to the 2001 CFO (fiscal) audits."

2002

The Medicare 7th Scope of Work begins.

Peer Review Organizations become Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs).

IPRO relocates its Albany office from Steuben Place to Corporate Woods.

IPRO receives Special Recognition from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for the 24-hour-a-day hotline offered to New Yorkers in the weeks immediately following the events of September 11, 2001.

CMS awards IPRO a Common Knowledge Award for "developing and implementing methods of sharing information in the Congestive Heart Failure Practice Improvement project and providing a model for creating a community of practice improvement."

CMS awards IPRO one of eight Professional Business Service (PBS) contracts to provide consulting services on an as-needed basis.

IPRO, a pilot site for testing home health agency interventions, receives a second Common Knowledge Award for its work on the Home Health Agency Outcomes Based Improvement (OBQI) project.

The IPRO Annual Report wins an Award of Distinction in the Annual Report/Non-Profit category at the 2002 Communicator Awards.

IPRO's Marketing Presentation Jacket receives an Honorable Mention in the Marketing/Promotion/Presentation Jacket category at the Communicator Awards.

IPRO's Annual Performance Report wins the Award of Excellence in the Fourteenth Annual APEX 2002 Awards.

At the World Wide Web Health Awards, IPRO is named Merit Winner for its Web site "IPRO QI Projects Database," an online resource for health professionals and facilities in New York State. The award takes into account Web site characteristics including ease of navigation and usability, design and visual appeal, credibility and timeliness of content and readability. The IPRO Web site was also named a Silver Winner in the "non-profit" category.

IPRO's Web site is recognized with a Silver Award in the third annual eHealthcare Leadership Awards competition.

2003

IPRO achieves certification to ISO 9001:2000 standards.

IPRO receives a Certificate of Achievement from CMS for Best of Conference poster at the 2003 Quality Net Conference.

IPRO receives CMS's Common Knowledge Best Practices Award for "development of effective and efficient Web site designs that they generously shared with other QIOs." IPRO earned the award for developing and sharing a Web site map tool that permits viewers to quickly and easily access CMS's Nursing Home Compare data for nursing homes in their selected vicinity.

IPRO's Healthy Seniors newsletter receives the Award of Distinction in the Print Media category at the 2003 Communicator Awards.

IPRO's New York State Readmission Report cover wins the Award of Distinction in the Marketing/Promotion/Presentation Jacket category at the 2003 Communicator Awards.

The Health Information Resource Center (HIRC) awards IPRO a first place Silver Award for "Best Site Design for Physicians, Nurses and Other Clinicians" at the World Wide Web Health Awards.

2004

IPRO celebrates 20 years of Quality Improvement.

IPRO's Senior Vice President, Harry M. Feder, is awarded the inaugural James Q. Cannon Memorial Endowment's Outstanding Leader in Operations Management Award by AHQA (American Health Quality Association).

In the National Health Information Awards competition, IPRO Medical Officer Charles Stimler, MD wins the NHIA Silver Award for his article "Mood Affects Prognosis: the Danger of Depression," published in the November/ December 2003 issue of Heart and Health Reports.

At the 2004 Communicator Awards, IPRO wins an Award of Distinction for its Spanish-language Medicare rights poster in the Marketing/Promotion Poster category.

IPRO receives a second Communicator Awards Award of Distinction in the Web Site/Overall Site category for the New York State HMO Report Card it developed on behalf of the New York State Health Accountability Foundation.

CMS names IPRO one of only eight Qualified Independent Contractors (QICs) nationwide eligible to bid on second-level claims appeals of denied Medicare fee-for-service claims.