Hospital

Quality health care for people with Medicare is a high priority for President Bush, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Former HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced the Quality Initiative in November 2001 – his commitment to assure quality health care for all Americans through published consumer information coupled with health-care quality improvement support through Medicare's Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs).

The Quality Initiative was launched nationally in 2002 as the Nursing Home Quality Initiative (NHQI) and expanded in 2003 with the Home Health Quality Initiative (HHQI) and the Hospital Quality Initiative (HQI). These initiatives are part of a comprehensive look at quality of care that includes the Doctor's Office Quality (DOQ) project and End-Stage Renal Disease quality work.

CMS promotes transparency by publicly reporting quality of care. Hospital Compare has quality measures on how often hospitals provide some of the recommended care to get the best results for most patients. GMCF works with Georgia hospitals to support public reporting, to help them guage their ability to provide the right care for every person, every time.

Objective
The Data Challenge
Components of the Hospital Quality Initiative
Timing
The Quality Strategy
Regulation and Enforcement
Consumer Education on Quality of Care
Rewarding Superior Performance
Community-Based Quality Improvement
Collaboration and Partnership
Hospital Quality Information