Peer-to-Peer Comparisons Spur Improvements in Minnesota

When MN Community Measurement, leader of AF4Q in Minnesota, first started publicly reporting data, the belief was that patients would use the data to make choices about what doctor to see. This, in turn, would drive improvement. What has been surprising, according to Jim Chase, president of MN Community Measurement, is the amount of attention providers have given the public reports and the comparisons they make to their peers’ performance. “We’ve been using it in a variety of ways: to improve our services, to improve our clinical workflows, to implement tools so we could really make those outcomes better,” said Timothy Hernandez, MD, of Entira Family Clinics. Hernandez also remarked on the evolution of using data as an example of “culture change” in the provider community. Entira has been able to use data to yield improvements in outcomes. Six-month remission rates for depression are 120 percent higher than the state average and have increased 250 percent faster than the state average over the past three years. “You know, it’s not just about the data—it’s about how that data gets used within the community to make a difference,” added Chase.