About WCHQ

Who We Are

The Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ) is a voluntary consortium of organizations learning and working together to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare for the people of Wisconsin.

Our members represent a diverse and dynamic group of healthcare organizations: physician groups, hospitals and health plans. They include two of Wisconsin's largest health systems: Aurora Health Care and the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics / University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation.

We also partner with other organizations, including healthcare purchasers, governmental agencies, foundations and healthcare associations. We value the different perspectives that come from these multiple sources. By working together, we achieve a more balanced, holistic understanding of healthcare in its current state and how it can be improved.

For more about us, download the WCHQ brochure (PDF, 1.9 MB) or request printed copies

What We Collaborate To Do

• Develop, prioritize and implement performance measures for assessing the quality of healthcare services.
• Guide the collection, validation, application and analysis of both administrative and clinical data.
• Publicly report comparative performance measurement results for healthcare providers, purchasers and consumers.
• Share the best practices of healthcare organizations that demonstrate high-quality service, enabling all providers to adopt successful methods.

What We Aspire To Be

We seek to be a national leader in the public reporting of healthcare quality measures, one that is respected for its integrity and trust, recognized for its transparency and inclusive governance, and willing to innovate and improve continuously.

How We Began

In early 2003, chief executives from healthcare provider organizations in Wisconsin gathered to discuss forming a collaborative. Recognizing the importance of performance measurement, these leaders joined together in partnership with healthcare purchasers to form the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ). They began developing a unique set of ambulatory care measures that enable physician groups to collect and report data on all the patients under their care. WCHQ members actively use the measures to drive internal improvement efforts and work across organizations to share their knowledge and learn from higher performing organizations.

WCHQ has received national attention for its approach for achieving voluntary public reporting of comparative performance information in both ambulatory and hospital settings. The Commonwealth Fund developed a detailed case study that describes the origin and operational tenets of WCHQ. Embracing Accountability: Physician Leadership, Public Reporting, and Teamwork in the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (PDF) presents personal interviews with executives of the healthcare organizations that form the membership of WCHQ, purchasing partners, state officials, and WCHQ staff.

Through the generous support of WEA Trust in 2004, WCHQ released its state-of-the-art, interactive Performance & Progress Report. The web-based report allows any individual to access relevant, audited healthcare quality information at any time while comparing their choice of healthcare providers and performance measures. WEA Trust is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the health and financial security of Wisconsin public school employees and their families. A Board of Trustees — comprised entirely of current and retired public school employees — oversees the operations and serves without financial compensation. As educators, they understand the needs of public school employees, and are able to use that knowledge to ensure that WEA Trust members get high quality and great value in their insurance.