Hospital Quality and Safety
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What is the score on hospital quality?
Find out with the Quality-In-Sights® Hospital Incentive Program (Q-HIP®).
Q-HIP is an award-winning program that ties hospital payments to the quality of patient care. Currently, payments are tied to the number of services instead of the quality of care. The goal of the program is to help all patients get the best health care.
Hospitals are reviewed in three areas:
 | Patient safety – This area looks at how the hospital’s patient care processes align with nationally accepted best practices. |
| Health outcomes – This area looks at how the results of a patient’s care compares to other hospitals across the country. |
| Patient satisfaction – This area looks at public patient survey results |
Q-HIP measures are based on standards supported by nationally recognized quality groups. These include the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), American College of Cardiology (ACC), the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), the Joint Commission (JC), the National Quality Forum (NQF), and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS).
Q-HIP has grown from 16 hospitals in 2003 to more than 600 by the end of 2011. Q-HIP has won many awards but the program’s growth is the best reflection of its success.
Legal Disclaimer: Quality-In-Sights® and Q-HIP® are registered marks of Anthem Southeast, Inc. and are used with permission.
Facts about Hospital Compare
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services created Hospital Compare to provide quality information to the public on how well hospitals are performing on certain medical conditions and procedures. It also included information from a satisfaction survey that patients have completed after a recent hospital stay.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia is a member of the Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA). Georgia's Partnership for Health and Accountability recognizes patient safety as its top priority and describes the elements that support a culture of safety in healthcare organizations. Among these are a pervasive commitment to patient safety, open communication, a blame-free environment, and the importance of safety design in preventing future errors. Acknowledging that success in creating a culture of safety requires the commitment of both organizational leadership and frontline health care workers, PHA stresses the critical role of physicians and employees in the process.
The Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA) brings together the healthcare field with agencies and individuals to ensure quality and safety in healthy communities. PHA assists in strengthening collaboration between providers, community members, and other stakeholders by providing education and data-driven tools to facilitate improvement.
Insights is a public guide published by PHA to offer people like you current information about the hospitals in your area and information for you to ask the right kind of questions at a doctors visit or hospital stay.
LeapFrog shows how the hospitals in your area perform on standardized safety measures. Survey information shows what steps hospitals are taking to reduce preventable medical mistakes. For information including ratings of hospitals Click here. The Leapfrog Group is made up of more than 160 companies and organizations that buy health care. Leapfrog and its members work together to:
| Reduce preventable medical mistakes and improve the quality and affordability of health care. |
| Reward doctors and hospitals for improving the quality, safety and affordability of health care. |
| Encourage health providers to publicly report their quality and outcomes so that consumers and purchasing organizations can make informed health care choices. |
| Help consumers reap the benefits of making smart health care decisions |
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