Designing the Optimal Health Assessment System: the Cleveland Quality Choice (CHQC) example.

Cleveland Health Quality Choice (CHQC) is an ongoing collaborative partnership between business, hospitals, and physicians designed to assess the performance of health care institutions in the greater Cleveland metropolitan area. CHQC coordinates the collection of data for analysis of intensive care unit outcomes; general medical, surgical and obstetric outcomes; and patient satisfaction. CHQC has documented improved outcomes in all measured spheres over a 4-year period. Its success can be attributed to a leadership strategy focused on providing rigorously tested analytic tools and a shared vision regarding the value of outcome information in assessing institutional performance. CHQC can serve as a model for communities interested in creating joint programs between purchasers and providers of health care to measure health outcomes.