The Niagara Health Quality Coalition has received a federal designation that could allow the group to expand its Western New York and statewide hospital report cards to include care provided by doctor groups, reports Business First of Buffalo.
The coalition is among 14 similar organizations nationwide to be recognized by the Department of Health and Human Services for their contributions toward improving the quality of health care in their communities. The department is giving the 14 access to information from Medicare that gauges quality of care provided by physician practices.
The physician-group performance information will be provided this summer, and could be combined with other private-sector data to produce a comprehensive consumer guide on the quality of care, according to the department.
The 14 are the first to receive the federal recognition, known as a “chartered value exchange” designation. In addition to the coalition, the federal designation was awarded to the New York Quality Alliance in Albany and organizations in Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin.