Value-Driven Health Care Initiative

“At a Glance”

WHAT: 

The goal of the Value-Driven Health Care Initiative is to provide public information about the quality and cost of services delivered by health care providers.

Such information is not widely available today.  There is little information to help consumers compare doctors and hospitals based on measures of quality and cost.  Providers themselves have limited information for comparing their performance based on accepted standards of care.  Yet such information is crucial for delivering the best treatment and the best value in health care.  Public reporting is the surest way to achieve better health care at lower cost.

WHO:

The goal of public reporting looks simple.  But getting there is ambitious and complex.  It requires stakeholders throughout the economy to work together in new ways.  Consumers, employers, doctors and hospitals, health plans, unions, government entities and others are all invited to take part. 

NATIONAL COORDINATION:

The Initiative is a voluntary effort, not a government-mandated program. Participants commit to four objectives, called the “cornerstones” of value-driven health care:

• Health Information Technology – Participants commit to use health information technology standards that make it possible to share medical records securely.
• Reporting on Quality – Participants commit to public reporting on the performance of doctors, hospitals and other providers.
• Reporting on Prices – Participants commit to public reporting about the prices and costs of medical services.
• Incentives for Quality and Value – Participants commit to supporting incentives for quality and value in health care services. 

LOCAL CONTROL:

In addition to committing to the “cornerstone” goals, participants are invited to work together in regional collaboratives.  National goals and common standards are important – but real improvement needs to take place in local settings, where the providers and purchasers know and work with one another.  HHS will recognize regional “Value Exchanges,” where stakeholders are working together toward quality improvement and reliable public reporting.

                                                For More Information: www.hhs.gov/transparency