I'm happy to have had the opportunity to have my staff contribute to these very special issues of Home Healthcare Nurse that focus on Outcome-Based Quality Improvement (OBQI).

The OBQI reports provide-for the first time-a benchmark for every home health agency to compare their patient outcomes against a national average. These two issues have focused on the information you need about data collection and transmission: how to interpret the outcome reports, how to target outcomes for improvement, how to investigate the care provided, and how to develop and implement an action plan to provide the improved care. You also have actual practical application of this process written by home health agency providers.

I'm very anxious to work with the home health industry on our OBQI quality reports. I'm a firm believer in collecting data and using comparative data for all of us to provide the best healthcare possible. Quality measurement, patient outcomes, public disclosure, and discussing proven methods that provide best care for our patients are of the highest priorities at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

We're determined to help you use the tools that we have in OASIS to make sure we're giving the best quality healthcare to our patients. At the same time, we're also committed to streamlining OASIS so that it is a useful tool for measuring quality and outcomes. And not an unnecessary burden.

The OBQI reports mark an important milestone in our shared commitment to the programs and initiatives that promote the well being of the patients who receive care from your home health agencies. I know we can count on your contributions to making the OBQI reports a vital component to improve patient care.

We are very interested in moving forward to use the OASIS in the best ways possible, and I hope these two issues of Home Healthcare Nurse will help you achieve the best possible outcomes. We look forward to continuing to work with you, our partners, in providing home healthcare to all patients.