Chartered Value Exchanges are community-based multistakeholder collaboratives on the forefront of implementing cutting-edge ways to transform health care at the local level. Providers, employers, insurers, and community leaders achieve this special Federal distinction for their strong commitment to improving quality and value in health care.
Select for: Application / Scoring Form / Guide to Scoring / Frequent Questions—New!
Background
As Chartered Value Exchanges, these groups gain access to performance information from Medicare that gauges how well physicians treat patients. These performance measurement results can be combined with similar private-sector data to produce a comprehensive consumer guide on the quality of care available. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will begin providing the information by the summer of 2008.
Chartered Value Exchanges also will join a nationwide Learning Network sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). This network will provide peer-to-peer learning experiences through facilitated meetings, both face to face and on the Web, and will also feature tools, access to experts, and an ongoing private Web-based knowledge management system.
Over the last year, HHS has designated more than 100 Community Leaders who are encouraging the growth of community-based, multi-stakeholder collaboratives working to drive health care reform. These groups were the first eligible to apply for Chartered Value Exchange status, which will provide them with a wealth of contacts and new Medicare data on the quality of care to foster value-based purchasing decisions.
Chartered Value Exchanges represent one of several initiatives undertaken by HHS to implement a bold vision for health care reform built on four cornerstones. These include:
- Adopting interoperable health information technology.
- Measuring and publishing quality information to enable consumers to make better decisions about their care.
- Measuring and publishing price information to give consumers information they need to make decisions on purchasing health care.
- Promoting quality and efficiency of care.
For an overview of HHS's Value-Driven Health Care initiative, go to: http://www.hhs.gov/valuedriven/
Select for Contact Information for the current CVEs.
Tools for Chartered Value Exchanges
Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®)
Public-private initiative to develop standardized surveys of patients' experiences with ambulatory and facility-level care
Go to: https://www.cahps.ahrq.gov/default.asp
Decision Guide on Consumer Financial Incentives
Tool for employers, health plans, and State Medicaid agencies considering or poised to design and implement a consumer
financial incentive strategy.
Go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/value/incentives.htm
HCUPnet
Free, online query system that provides access to health statistics and information on hospital inpatient and emergency department utilization
Go to: http://hcupnet.ahrq.gov/
Health Care Report Card Compendium
Searchable directory of sample report cards that show formats and approaches for providing comparative information on the quality of health plans, hospitals, medical groups, individual physicians, nursing homes, and other providers of care
Go to: http://www.talkingquality.gov/compendium/
Pay for Performance: A Decision Guide for Purchasers
Guide for public and private purchasers of health care services that are considering sponsorship of a pay-for-performance initiative.
Go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/p4pguide.htm
A Purchaser's Guide to Clinical Preventive Services: Moving Science into Coverage
Information source for employers on clinical preventive service benefit design
http://www.businessgrouphealth.org/benefitstopics/topics/purchasers/index.cfm
Put Prevention Into Practice (PPIP)
Clinical decision support tools for improving quality of care
Go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/ppipix.htm#tools
Talking to Consumers about Health Care Quality
Site designed for people and organizations trying to educate consumers about health care quality.
Go to: http://www.talkingquality.gov/
Tools for Prospective Community Leaders and Chartered Value Exchanges
Regional Coalition Collaboration Guide
Assists community leaders in creating and sustaining a regional coalition—New!
Go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/value/collabguide.htm
Community Leaders
The Department of Health and Human Services is accepting requests for recognition from organizations interested in becoming a Community Leader.
Go to: http://transparency.ahrq.gov/signup.cfm?otype=cl
Be an Active Health Care Consumer
Materials to help consumers become better informed and participate as partners in their own health care
Go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/path/beactive.htm
Questions Are the Answer
Information for consumers on taking an active role in their health care
Go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/questionsaretheanswer/
Chartered Value Exchange Application
Application to be named a Chartered Value Exchange
Go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/value/cveapp2008.htm
More Background Information
National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report
Comprehensive overviews of quality of and disparities in health care in the United States
Go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/qrdr07.htm
Value and Sustainability in Health Information Technology
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt's remarks at AHRQ's 2007 Annual Meeting (Video and Transcript)
Go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/news/sec92807.htm
Current as of June 2008
Internet Citation:
Chartered Value Exchanges: Local Networks with National Standards. Revised June 2008. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/value/localnetworks.htm