How does IHS report on the quality of care it provides?
There are two ways that IHS reports on the quality of care it provides to its patients. One is for Transparency, described below, and the other is for the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). Click here to learn about GPRA and the IHS GPRA performance measures.

What is Transparency?
IHS, along with other Federal health care agencies such as the Veterans Administration (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD), are required to report on the quality of care we provide to our patients. This requirement is from a 2006 Executive Order from President Bush. Sharing the reports with you on the quality of health care is known as “Transparency,” which means that is not hidden and is easily seen.

What is reported for Transparency?
To meet this requirement, IHS reports on seven performance measures for the health conditions shown at the left, which include diabetes, flu shots, pneumonia, asthma, and stroke. These performance measures are called “Transparency” measures. The VA and the DoD are also reporting some of the Transparency measures.

IHS is reporting on the seven Transparency measures listed below. Five additional measures will be added in September 2009.

• Diabetes: Hemoglobin A1c – Blood Sugar Control
• Diabetes: LDL Cholesterol
• Diabetes: Blood Pressure Control
• Immunizations – Flu Shot
• Pneumonia – Oxygen Assessment
• Appropriate Medication for Asthma
• Ischemic Stroke with Atrial Fibrillation – Anticoagulant Therapy

The IHS Transparency measures were developed by IHS and are reported by all IHS Federal health care facilities so that patients and the general public can compare performance on the measures between IHS facilities. Five new Transparency measures will be added in 2009.

These reports are like report cards and compare the quality of health care in one IHS medical facility with another IHS medical facility in your area. The report also compares the quality of health care with other medical facilities that are not in IHS.

How does IHS collect the information?
IHS maintains electronic medical records for all of its patients. The information used for Transparency reporting is collected from the electronic medical records.