Quality of Care
Like the rest of the nation, Colorado's health care system is often cited as performing poorly on several key indicators of quality. Compared to the rest of the United States, Colorado ranks 30th in overall quality of care.¹
What is Quality of Care?
It is the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge.¹ For health care to be considered "quality," it must be:
- Safe
- Effective
- Patient-centered
- Timely
- Efficient
- Equitable
Widespread implementation of evidence-based medicine and clinical best practices throughout Colorado's health care system will ensure quality health care for the state's underserved populations and result in better health outcomes.
Our Focus
The Colorado Health Foundation works to improve the quality of care across the state, with a particular focus on primary care and safety-net clinics. We use our resources to support projects that:
- Utilize evidence-based medicine, which generally refers to the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values
- Improve chronic disease management which differs from chronic disease self-management, a form of preventive care that we also support
- Increase the use of health information technology to capture and share data among providers
- Encourage the development and expansion of incentive and reimbursement structures to reward quality care for underserved Coloradans
- Promote the implementation of formal clinical/operational quality improvement plans and methodologies within the safety net
Sources
¹ "Aiming Higher: Results from a State Scorecard on Health System Performance." The Commonwealth Fund