Quality Improvement

Quality Transparency and Improvement Across Central Ohio
​by Krista Stock, HCGC VP of Quality and Transformation

Central Ohio providers continue to be open and transparent with one another about how they perform on specific quality measures with an eye on improving health and healthcare delivery across the region. HCGC is excited to share the latest regional quality report for nine quality measures based on 2018 data from 16 healthcare organizations representing 159 practice sites that are caring for over 820,000 patients across Central Ohio. The report also features the top performing practices for each measure. This quality transparency and improvement project continues to grow and evolve and we couldn’t be prouder of the collaborative spirit of all of these healthcare leaders who are voluntarily sharing their data and their quality improvement processes and outcomes with one another.
 
These partner organizations know that although their improvement activities are key to moving the needle on performance metrics, building a culture of improvement is equally important. Without the right culture, the improvement work could merely be an exercise in checking boxes. Earlier this month, project partners convened to share how they are building a culture of improvement within their organizations. Two physician leaders from two different organizations shared how they are engaging providers and care teams in improvement initiatives by being open and transparent with quality data. They are sharing quality performance scores via reports and dashboards across their organizations. Providers can see how one another perform on specific quality metrics, allowing them to benchmark themselves against one another and identify where improvement opportunities exist. Data is constantly updated so that care teams know how their efforts are impacting their patients. Care teams appreciate the transparency and engage in improvement efforts more readily because they can see the data and monitor changes in performance as they make improvements. Building feedback loops for providers and their care teams helps shape a continuous quality improvement culture. It takes time, but building the right culture is foundational to improving how we deliver care for all of our patients.
 
As we continue to monitor how we are performing as a region, we constantly remind ourselves that this can be a slow process. But getting as many providers and care teams working together as possible, we can start to make more impactful changes that will benefit all patients in the region. We continue to work with these providers to identify and support collaborative improvement opportunities and welcome other provider organizations who want to be part of this important work. For more information about participating in this project, please visit our website or contact HCGC’s Vice President of Quality and Transformation, Krista Stock at krista@hcgc.org. 

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