WCHQ | About Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality

Mission, Vision, Values

Our Mission

WCHQ publicly reports and brings meaning to performance measurement information that improves the quality and affordability of health care in Wisconsin, in turn improving the health of individuals and communities.

Our Vision

The Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ) dramatically improves the health and increases the value of health care for the people of Wisconsin.

Our Values

WCHQ builds consensus and drives improvement by practicing these values: trust, participation, inclusiveness, shared responsibility, openness, adaptive self-governance, intellectual output, acknowledgement, and transparency.

ABIMF Recognized WCHQ for Building Trust between Physicians/Health Systems

In 2019, WCHQ was selected as one of eight “trust practice challenge” winners by the ABIM Foundation. WCHQ was recognized for its pioneering and sustaining work in building trust among and between physicians/ health systems, the business community, and the public at large through its mission of public reporting and collaborative learning. In making the award, ABIMF recognized WCHQ’s long history of innovative and leading-edge work toward improved health, better care and lower cost.

As part of WCHQ’s selection, WCHQ President/CEO Chris Queram was invited to make a three-minute presentation at the annual ABIM Foundation Forum. The video summarizes how WCHQ has influenced and built trust by adhering to its basic mission of catalyzing collaboration, public reporting and transparency.

To learn more about WCHQ, this interview between Chris and Beth McGlynn, vice president, Kaiser Permanente Research provides more details on WCHQ’s background and work to improve quality, transparency and value.

Education Events

Listen to past recordings of any Assembly / webinar at wchq.memberclicks.net:

All recordings and materials from past Assemblies and webinars are stored in our member site, Online Community, wchq.memberclicks.net. Members may log in and access materials in the Education tab, and select Assembly Meeting Materials from the dropdown menu.

Who Participates in WCHQ

WCHQ members includes 35 health systems, 325 medical clinics, and more than 150 dentists. Members represent integrated health systems with hospitals and clinics; small, rural hospitals; a staff model health plan; FQHCs; a statewide network of free and charitable clinics; independent physician groups; and dental practices.

WCHQ’s members represent more than 65 percent of Wisconsin’s primary care physicians, which is over 5,000 primary care physicians, advanced practice providers and physician assistants.

A number of health care related stakeholders support WCHQ, which includes corporate sponsors, purchasers, policy and advocacy organizations, government agencies, research institutions and foundations.

Advancing the WCHQ Mission

WCHQ provider members measure the quality and affordability of health care services in Wisconsin. The results are shared online at WCHQ.org in the Performance and Progress Report. WCHQ members are committed to using performance measurement and public reporting to promote greater transparency, faster improvement, improved efficiency and equity within health care.

WCHQ convenes steering teams that plan and carry out initiatives to enhance health care quality and affordability. These groups include broad representation from health care providers, purchasers, consumers and others. Members and stakeholders gather quarterly for WCHQ Assembly meetings, where leaders from Wisconsin and national experts share new developments in clinical performance measurement and best practices that lead to higher quality and better patient care.

How WCHQ Began

In early 2003, chief executives from Wisconsin health care provider organizations came together to discuss forming a collaborative. Recognizing the importance of performance measurement, these leaders partnered with health care purchasers to create the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ). They started developing a unique set of ambulatory care measures that enable medical groups to collect and report data on all patients in their practice. WCHQ members actively use these measures to drive internal improvement efforts and reach across organizations, sharing their knowledge and learning from the highest performers.

About Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality