The Health Care Quality Improvement Program: the WVMI returns to its founding mission.

The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) has launched and ambitious new program for Peer Review Organizations (PROs) called the Health Care Quality Improvement Program (HCQIP). The goal of HCQIP is to improve the quality of care for all Medicare beneficiaries through cooperative interaction between PROs, providers, and physicians. The West Virginia Medical Institute, which serves as the PRO for West Virginia and Delaware, has recently begun to implement the changes required by HCQIP. This article explains the various approaches WVMI will use to achieve the health care improvement goals set forth by HCFA.