Creating a Statewide Hospital Quality Reporting System

Publication Date: February 2002

Publisher: California HealthCare Foundation

Author(s): San Francisco. Institute for Health Policy Studies University of California; R. Adams Dudley; Diane Rittenhouse; Richard Bae

Research Area: Health

Type: Report

Coverage: California

Abstract:

Despite a recent dramatic increase in the level of public reporting activity in California on the performance of hospitals, health plans, and medical groups, there is no overall coordination among the efforts, and many projects fall short of full participation due to their voluntary nature. What would it take to create a successful, cohesive reporting system in California? Drawing upon stakeholder interviews and lessons learned from prior initiatives, this report details the barriers, opportunities, and potential for a hospital quality reporting system in this state. The report explores:

*Conceptual models and methods that might guide the formation of a system for managing this information effectively; *The implications of a "floor" strategy that would rely on mandatory data collection and reporting versus a "market" strategy that would rely primarily on incentives and voluntary participation; and *The challenges inherent in developing a statewide quality reporting system.

Based on their research, the authors offer a series of practical suggestions that could move stakeholders to the next step of designing an effective, coordinated, and efficient system of health care performance reporting in California.