Silicon Valley Consortium Aims to Improve Healthcare Quality Through Technology Adoption

Strategic Insights -

The Silicon Valley Pay-for-Performance Consortium, comprising leading technology companies and medical groups, has been formed to promote the adoption of health information technology and reward healthcare providers for using technology to improve patient care. This employer-led consortium is unique in its approach, bringing together thousands of employees and healthcare providers to share information and improve healthcare quality. The consortium's primary goal is to accelerate the adoption of electronic health records and the use of automated decision support tools, which can help doctors make better medical decisions.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Silicon Valley Pay-for-Performance Consortium is a collaborative effort between Cisco Systems, Inc., Intel Corp., Oracle, and several large medical groups and independent practice associations (IPAs) in northern California.
  • The consortium aims to reward healthcare providers for using technology to share information and improve patient care, with a focus on electronic health records and automated decision support tools.
  • The Pay-for-Performance program will use the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Physician Practice Connections (PPC) program, which recognizes physician practices that employ systematic processes and health information technology to improve quality.
  • The consortium's goal is to accelerate the transition to electronic health records and the use of automated decision support tools, helping doctors determine the best course of therapy for patients based on the latest science and medical histories.
  • Physician practices that employ electronic registries and automated decision support tools are more effective and less likely to make mistakes compared to those without these tools.
  • The use of technology can also improve efficiency, reducing the time healthcare providers spend tracking down medical histories.

Statistics:

  • The consortium brings together thousands of employees and healthcare providers from leading technology companies and medical groups.
  • The Pay-for-Performance program is based on the NCQA PPC program, which recognizes physician practices that employ systematic processes and health information technology to improve quality.
  • Electronic health records and automated decision support tools can help doctors determine the best course of therapy for patients, reducing misdiagnoses and contraindicated prescriptions.
  • The use of electronic registries and automated decision support tools can improve efficiency, reducing the time healthcare providers spend tracking down medical histories.

Sources:

  • "Silicon Valley Consortium Aims to Improve Healthcare Quality Through Technology Adoption" (Health & Medicine Week, 2006)
  • NewsRx.com
  • Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO)
  • Intel Corp.
  • Oracle