Medicare

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awards Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) contracts in every state and territory. Qualis Health serves as the Medicare QIO for Idaho and Washington.

People with Medicare have the right to quality healthcare. CMS protects Medicare beneficiaries through the work of Medicare QIOs, which work directly with healthcare providers to improve the care they deliver. In addition, QIOs provide direct assistance to Medicare beneficiaries when they have concerns about medical quality or believe healthcare services are being discontinued too soon.

If you have Medicare, not only are you entitled to quality healthcare, but you are also guaranteed access to easy-to-understand information concerning:

• Filing a complaint about the quality of healthcare you have received in the past or are undergoing now
• Appealing a decision to send you home from a hospital when you feel you should continue to stay there
• Appealing a decision to end a course of treatment (such as rehabilitation, nursing home, home health or hospice care) when you feel you still need those services

For more information about Qualis Health’s Medicare activities in Idaho and Washington, please visit www.qualishealthmedicare.org.