TalkingQuality

Citation

(2002), "TalkingQuality", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 15 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2002.06215eag.001

TalkingQuality

TalkingQuality:http://www.TalkingQuality.gov

A new US government Web site has been launched designed to help benefit managers, consumer advocates, and state officials communicate with their audiences about health care quality. The site provides step-by-step instructions on how to implement a quality measurement and reporting project, such as a health plan report card. It is intended as a resource to help organisations to educate consumers about the quality of their health care, and provides them with the tools to give the US public the information they want and need to make informed decisions about their health care. Whilst it is clearly designed with the particular needs of the US health care market in mind, it has much to offer those in other countries who are involved in measuring and reporting on quality, particularly to patients.

Research shows that health care quality varies widely across health plans and providers. Research also shows that Americans want and value quality care, but may lack access to information that would help them with the critical health care choices they face. The TalkingQuality Web site is designed for people and organizations trying to address that need. The Web site provides practical advice and examples on what to say about health care quality, how to say it, and how best to get that information, especially information on plans and providers, into the hands of consumers.

TalkingQuality.gov covers the entire process of quality reporting from initial planning to evaluation, with useful information for those both with and without experience in producing quality reports. Specifically, the site includes tips on getting started on a quality project, collecting and analysing data, presenting and disseminating information, providing ongoing support for a quality reporting effort, and evaluating the project. A special feature is the Planning Workbook, a downloadable companion to the Web site. It is designed to help develop customised plans for presenting quality health care information. Throughout the site, there are Workbook icons that remind users when the Workbook may be useful.

The site was developed through the Quality Interagency Coordination (QuIC) Task Force, established to ensure that all Federal agencies with health care responsibilities are working in a coordinated way to improve quality of care.

The site has a very clear and narrow focus. Its target users are those who participate in or sponsor any project to educate consumers about health care quality or inform them about the performance of specific health care organisations. It aims to help them to deal with the problem of conveying comparative information about health care quality so that consumers can both understand and use the data to make better-informed decisions. It explicitly excludes three topics:

1. 1.

   The development of quality measures. There is some basic information about the kinds of measures that are typically included in quality reports for consumers, but the site does not address the process of developing and testing measures or the need to create new measures that speak directly to consumers' concerns about health care quality.

2. 2.

   The reporting of quality at the level of individual practitioners. It is acknowledged that consumers would really like to have information on the quality of individual practitioners. However, there are too many difficulties with providing this, including cost and patient privacy issues, and efforts to measure and report on physician quality are in their infancy.

3. 3.

   Information on treatment choices. The value of access to information that clearly and succinctly compares the benefits and risks of treatment options for patients is recognised, but the topic is not included in the site. However, a link to another site, Now You Have a Diagnosis: What's Next?, is provided.

The site offers a number of starting points, but on a first visit it is well worth starting with the Welcome and Orientation. This not only provides a very helpful overview of the site, but also provides useful guidance on where to start. This is based on a diagnosis of the role of the users (from those that handle every component of a quality information project to those that simply direct their constituencies to reliable sources of information) and whether they are new to the process of developing quality information or an experienced sponsor of consumer-oriented quality measurement projects.

There are five key topics on the home page:

1. 1.

   The Big Picture provides an introduction to the larger task of understanding a typical measurement project. This section deals with everything involved: an introduction to the reasons for communicating about health care quality, an overview of the key tasks required to measure and report on quality, from start to finish, a discussion of what it takes to get this kind of project off the ground, and links to other resources.

2. 2.

   What to Say is a discussion of what consumers need to hear about health care quality and the information you may be giving them. Much of this section is very specific to the American health care system, but there are parallels with other systems. It begins with a section on why you need to say anything, followed by a section on how the audience influences what you say. It then goes on to outline what you have to explain, such as the purpose of the report and reasons to focus on quality. The final section identifies other information that you may wish to impart, such as where the data came from and procedures for complaints, appeals and grievances.

3. 3.

   How to Say It is an in-depth look at strategies for presenting information in ways that facilitates comprehension and use. It is a fairly "technical" section, dealing with:

4. 4.
   • •

     Making Quality Measures Manageable: ways to help your audience take in large amounts of information and focus on the concerns they care about most.

   • •

     Comparing Results: the pros and cons of different approaches to presenting comparative performance information.

   • •

     Talking About Statistics: strategies for helping your audience deal with statistical information.

   • •

     Saying It Clearly: suggestions for polishing the text and graphics in your report so that the publication is easier to read, easier to understand, and generally more appealing.

   • •

     Designing Your Report: the art of graphic design to improve both the clarity and the attractiveness of the material in your quality report.

   • •

     Choosing Media: how the medium you choose affects the ways in which you can present information.

The latter three sections are useful for the design of any report, quality or otherwise.

1. 1.

   Into the Hands of Consumers gives an overview of effective strategies for distributing information to consumers and supporting their efforts to use the information to make decisions. It has sections on Applying the Social Marketing Model; Building Awareness and Interest; Getting the Timing Right; Reaching People Where They Are and Supporting.

2. 2.

   Refining What You Do enables learning by providing a review of testing and evaluation methods that help you assess and improve your approach. This section explains how information from your audience can help you improve every aspect of your project, including the salience of your message, the attractiveness of your design, and the effectiveness of your distribution strategy.

This is a very user-friendly site. Much of it is intuitively easy to navigate, but it is well signposted, with considerable help and guidance. Whilst it has a much narrower focus than other sites reviewed in the journal, and is targeted at American users, it has much that is of interest and relevance to other users.