Wisconsin physicians, hospitals team up on data initiative
While report cards are usually products of HMOs, members of the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality have announced their own plan for public reporting.
By Mike Norbut, amednews staff. May 12, 2003.
A collection of physician groups and hospital systems in Wisconsin are setting up a way to release quality and cost data before health plans do it for them.
The group, called the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality, is planning to establish its own measures and report the outcomes to patients beginning later this year. The hope is that the information will allow consumers to make more informed choices about their care, which will include, at the urging of employers, better quality at lower cost.
Organizers of the collaborative said its purpose is not to preemptively release data ahead of HMOs. But members recognized the advantage of putting out figures on their own terms, so they can create measurements that will help them promote quality and efficiency. The collaborative includes some of the largest groups and hospital systems across the state, including Marshfield Clinic, the nearly 600-physician group based in northwest Wisconsin; ThedaCare, a system of clinics, hospitals and a health plan based in Appleton; and Bellin Health System in Green Bay.
"Since data is becoming more available, we want to make sure we are using it in the proper way," said George Kerwin, president and CEO of Bellin Health. "An advantage of using the data is we can find areas of efficiency to keep prices down."
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