The QIO Program is one of the largest federal programs dedicated to improving healthcare quality, but its go-to resource, QIOProgram.org, was no longer meeting the needs of its users.
The Challenge
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program — one of the largest federal programs dedicated to improving care at the community level — needed its website to work harder. QIOProgram.org is the go-to hub for quality improvement training, events, resources, and best-practice articles. But the site had an outdated look, limited search functionality, and a members-only area (Quality Co-Op) that offered little value beyond a profile photo and membership length.
Our Approach
Working with Bizzell US, the contractor managing QIOProgram.org, we implemented a three-pronged approach to improve the overall look and feel, enhance the user experience and better engage members of the site's members-only area.
We started where we always start: with the audience. Our team developed user personas to capture the real needs of three distinct user groups:
- Busy QIO staff searching for specific resources
- Healthcare providers often accessing the site on mobile; and
- Program administrators managing content and tracking engagement.
Those personas shaped every decision that followed.
From there, we worked with Bizzell's IT team to assess the content management system, ultimately recommending a Drupal upgrade over a full platform migration to stay on schedule and on budget. We then:
- Led a comprehensive audit of more than 3,000 pages, resources, and files removing anything outdated, redundant, or irrelevant
- Modernized Quality Co-Op by evaluating community platforms against our user research and selecting one that strongly matched what members needed: topic forums, customizable notifications, rich profiles, and content filtering
- Conducted hands-on user testing of the registration flow, resource library, and mobile experience
We also developed a comprehensive communications plan to drive adoption that included live site demonstrations, a targeted email campaign, how-to videos, and fact sheets walking new members through registration, profile setup, and content preferences.
“[The new site is] amazing...visually appealing and the navigation is nearly flawless.”
Our Results
The refreshed site launched on August 1, 2024 — on time and exceeding every objective:
- 75% reduction in site content
- 103% increase in website views
- 227% increase in new users
- 380+ Quality Co-Op sign-ups in the first month
August 2024 alone delivered 62,000 site views — the highest monthly total since Bizzell began managing the site in 2019.
What Made This Work
Grounding every decision in user research meant we weren't redesigning for aesthetics alone, we were solving real problems for real people. By combining strategic communications planning with hands-on user testing and a clear adoption strategy, we turned a federal website refresh into a meaningful improvement in how a critical healthcare program accesses resources and tools to improve patient care.
“Amy brings a fresh perspective to every project she works on. She is a master at using time effectively and efficiently, and her in-depth knowledge makes her a tremendous asset to any team. She is well-respected for her expertise and dedication to making lasting improvements in healthcare.”