California Quality Collaborative (CQC)

Problem:  The healthcare delivery system does not always perform to its potential in terms of providing quality, affordable healthcare.  Businesses can play a critical role by uniquely being able to provide the “neutral table” to bring plans and providers together to solve this problem.  With CQC, plans and providers have a trusted way to work together to implement best practices to assure that employees receive safe, effective, patient-centered care.

Pressure for quality improvement and cost savings is something every plan and provider feels.  While health plans and provider groups can work on their own to improve quality, CQC’s programs accelerate the pace of change through a more effective collaborative approach.  CQC identifies best practices in California and nationally in managing cost and quality, and brings together plans and providers to learn how to adopt them into their own organizations.  In addition, CQC programs are designed to align with business incentives in California, such as public reporting measures and pay for performance.  The goal is better patient outcomes at a more affordable price.

PBGH Role and Project Description:  The mission of California Quality Collaborative (CQC) is to identify and accelerate the adoption of proven innovations in ambulatory care to achieve the highest attainable value of health care.  By promoting proven system changes and care re-design at the physician group level and at the practice sites, CQC aims to improve healthcare for over 13 million patients in the HMO and PPO populations.  CQC is working on system-wide efforts to support and promote the re-design of healthcare to meet the six Institute of Medicine (IOM) aims for healthcare: safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient and equitable.  The program started in 1997 as the Diabetes CQI, chartered by CCHRI, to promote best practices in diabetes care.  In 2004, CCHRI launched the Breakthroughs in Chronic Care Program (BCCP) to focus on a broader range of chronic conditions.  In 2006 the program was re-named the California Quality Collaborative and expanded again to target improvements a broad range of clinical conditions, patient service and affordability within 110 physician groups and 35,000 practices they support.

Impact:  CQC will launch programs guided by the physician groups/IPAs, health plans, purchasers (PBGH) and other partners to improve the clinical care and service for all Californians.  In time, strengthened clinical leadership and honed changed management skills will bolster clinical systems and, ultimately, improve patient outcomes.

CQC’s goals include:

• Patient Experience
  • Improve the statewide average patient experience ratings by improving ratings for 4 million patients over three years by working with 30 groups contracted with 15,000 practices.
• Clinical Performance
  • Improve chronic care for 1 million patients cared for through 25 lower performing groups over 3 years.
• Efficiency
  • Identify key changes to improve cost efficiency in 3-5 areas by 25% by March 2009, then spread to 2 million patients through 27 groups by June 2010.

Current Activities:  CQC offers a range of California healthcare improvement initiatives, including:

• Expert healthcare quality improvement training programs engage California physician group leadership teams to manage change across their practices to achieve evidence-based, patient-centered care. 

• Topic specific collaboratives offer access to national experts and leading physician peer groups to facilitate the spread of best practices in patient satisfaction, clinical care, and efficiency.

• System level re-design efforts between providers and plans to improve disease management services for the patients they share.

For more information, visit the California Quality Collaborative website.