Aligning Forces for Quality

Measurement & Reporting

Quality Field Notes features key lessons learned by regional Alliances of clinicians, patients, and payers in Aligning Forces for Quality communities as they work to transform local health care and provide models for national reform. The latest topic in this series focuses on public reporting. The reports are important because they help patients make informed choices, and help physicians understand how to improve their performance. For the past eight years, Aligning Forces for...

Quality Field Notes: Regional Collaboratives Can Improve the Value of Local Health Care

Quality Field Notes features key lessons learned by regional Alliances of clinicians, patients, and payers in Aligning Forces for Quality communities as they work to transform local health care and provide models for national reform. The latest topic in this series focuses on regional collaboratives. Regional collaboratives provide unlikely partners—including purchasers, payers, consumer advocates, clinicians, and others—a neutral setting in which collective goals and actionable strategies can be established. For the past eight years...

Minnesota Releases Nation’s First Total Cost of Care Data for Medical Groups

A new report has just been published by MN Community Measurement that allows consumers for the first time to compare the cost of care at medical groups across the state. Costs from more than 1.5 million patients were included in the report, which is the nation’s most comprehensive look at the total cost of care. Information is available for 115 medical groups, representing 1,052 clinics across Minnesota and in neighboring communities on MNHealthScores.org.

The average monthly cost of medical care per patient...

Resources

Featured

Impact

60%

60% - The number of patients in Puget Sound who now are screened for colon cancer. The screening rate for colon cancer has improved more dramatically. The regional rate for the commercially insured population went from 39 percent in 2008 to more than 60 percent in 2012.

Voices

You Cannot Improve What You Do Not Measure.

To improve the quality of health care, we need better information about the performance of doctors and hospitals. You cannot improve what you do not measure.

Measurement & Reporting 101

Transparency in health care quality is a core principle of Aligning Forces. Teams in AF4Q communities have improved the quality of information about physicians' performance and are ensuring the public has access to that information, so consumers can make informed choices about their care; so doctors and hospitals can identify areas for improvement, track progress, and see how they compare to others; and so consumers and purchasers can determine the value they are getting.

AF4Q Public Reports

Albuquerque, NM	Memphis, Tenn.
Greater Boston	Minnesota
Cincinnati, Ohio	Oregon
Cleveland, Ohio	Puget Sound, Wash.
Detroit, Mich.	South Central Pennsylvania
Humboldt County, Calif.	West Michigan
Kansas City, Mo.	Western New York
Maine	Wisconsin

More public reports from RWJF’s National Directory, by state.

A Creative Approach to Public Reports

Meet Helen & Bob! Helen & Bob are avatars that help people in Wisconsin use the public report to make more informed decisions and find the right care.