Sources for Information

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations is an independent, not-for-profit organization governed by a board that includes physicians, nurses, and consumers. The Joint Commission's mission is to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public. To maintain and earn accreditation, organizations must have an extensive on-site review by a team of JCAHO healthcare professionals at least once every three years. The Joint Commission has begun to require that healthcare organizations measure standardized core performance measures in four areas that were derived largely from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, community-acquired pneumonia, and pregnancy and related conditions.

Health Plan Employer Data Information Set (HEDIS) & National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) The Health Plan Employer Data Information Set is the most widely used set of performance measures in the managed care industry. HEDIS is developed and maintained by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, a not-for-profit organization committed to assessing, reporting, and improving the quality of care provided by organized delivery systems to measure performance on important dimensions of care and service. There are more than 60 different measures in HEDIS including: immunizations, women's health, maternity care, behavioral health, and asthma.

The Health Plan Employer Data Information Set is a report card that allows hospitals to track the effectiveness of their treatment guidelines and compare that data to other hospitals. Applying HEDIS guidelines will help manage and eliminate threatening symptoms before they escalate.

Consumer Assessment of Health Plans (CAHPS)

The Consumer Assessment of Health Plans is a set of standardized surveys for measuring the satisfaction of managed care organization members with the quality of care and customer service provided by their health plans. Each year, NCQA requires managed care plans collecting HEDIS for accreditation to field the CAHPS survey among their eligible populations.

The Leapfrog Group

Composed of more than 130 public and private organizations, The Leapfrog Group works with medical experts throughout the U.S. to identify problems and propose solutions it believes will improve hospital systems that could break down and harm patients.

Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR)

Medicare Provider Analysis and Review files contain information on 100% of Medicare beneficiaries using hospital inpatient services.

Wisconsin Bureau of Healthcare Information

The Wisconsin Bureau of Healthcare Information collects and provides to the public information relating to the collection, analysis, and dissemination of data about hospitals; hospital discharges; planned outpatient surgeries; and physicians, nurses, and certain other healthcare providers.

Physician Groups and Health Systems

Following a detailed measurement specification developed by staff from WCHQ member organizations and other experts, physician groups are able to collect performance measurement results. Data are then submitted electronically to WCHQ via a secure online data submission tool.