Pilot ProgramsTopics on This Page
Better Quality Information PilotsSix existing regional collaboratives were selected last year to participate in Medicare’s “Better Quality Information to Improve Care for Medicare Beneficiaries” or BQI project. These collaboratives are serving as demonstration sites to pioneer the pooling of private data with Medicare claims data to produce more accurate, comprehensive measures of quality of services at the provider level. The results of these efforts will be used to provide performance information to physicians that will assist them in improving the quality of care they deliver to Medicare beneficiaries and to give provider performance information to Medicare beneficiaries to enable them to make more informed choices in obtaining Medicare covered services. The BQI project is funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. top of page Selected Sites- California Cooperative Healthcare Reporting Initiative, San Francisco, CA - The California Cooperative Healthcare Reporting Initiative works to collect and report performance data, promote comparable quality measures, and create efficient data collection to reduce burden and cost. Pilot web site
- Indiana Health Information Exchange, Indianapolis, IN - The Indiana Health Information Exchange is a collaboration aimed at improving the quality of health care and creating a common, secure, electronic infrastructure to expand information sharing. Pilot web site
- Massachusetts Health Quality Partners, Boston, MA - The Massachusetts Health Quality Partners is a broad-based health care coalition to promote valid, comparable measures to drive quality improvement. Pilot web site
- Minnesota Community Measurement, Minneapolis, MN - The Minnesota Community Measurement collaborative seeks to: improve care and support the quality initiatives; reduce reporting expenses; and communicate findings in a fair, usable and reliable way. Pilot web site
- Arizona State University - Center for Health Information & Research (CHIR), Tempe, Arizona – CHIR is a multidisciplinary team whose focus includes health care, clinical quality, the health care workforce, occupational illness and injury, medical malpractice, health care economics and disability. Pilot web site
- Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality, Madison, WI - The Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality is working to develop verifiable measures for public reporting. Pilot web site
top of page Insurer ProgramsSeveral insurers are offering their customers information on costs, clinical quality and physician efficiency. - On August 4, 2006, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans announced the creation of Blue Health Intelligence (BHI). BHI shares health information initially with employers, and in the future, with consumers and providers.
- On July 17, 2006, Humana enhanced their Compare Hospitals tool by adding a Physician Profile to their online provider directory. Members can compare hospitals by selecting measurement criteria and weigh the importance of each measurement. The physician tool shows comparison information for how often doctors adhered to specific treatment standards.
- On June 13, 2006, Aetna announced that it is providing clinical quality and efficiency information for more than 14,800 specialist physicians and specific pricing for more than 70,000 physicians.
- On June 1, 2006, UnitedHealthCare released its first-ever report card that rates quality of care and affordability among 20 of its contracted hospitals throughout Colorado.
- In late April, 2006, CIGNA unveiled an online tool that allows consumers to access average cost data by facility for 15 outpatient procedures and three high-cost radiology services in two markets, New Hampshire and Wichita, Kansas. CIGNA plans to expand this nationally in September.
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