Public disclosure of performance data: learning from the US experience

Abstract

Several factors have caused this situation to change. A societal trend towards greater openness in public affairs has been fuelled by the ready availability of information in many areas of life outside of the health sector. A slow realisation of wide variation in practice standards^{1, 2} and occasional dramatic public evidence of deficiencies in quality of care^{3, 4} have led to demands by the public and government for greater openness from healthcare providers. The availability of computerised data and major advances in methods of measuring quality⁵ have allowed meaningful performance indicators to be developed for public scrutiny. The result has been advocacy for the use of standardised public reports on quality of care as a mechanism for improving quality and reducing costs.^6–8