In 2002, The Commonwealth Fund began funding a series of Quality Improvement Colloquia to: 1) synthesize the work of Fund grantees and others on strategies for improving the quality of health care; 2) develop recommendations for public policy changes, institutional improvement strategies, and a future research agenda; and 3) establish a network of private and public sector leaders who would disseminate this work within their own professional circles and advise the Fund about program priorities. The first grant supported two colloquia, one in November 2002, 'The Business Case for Quality,' and another in May 2003, 'Accelerating the Adoption of Information Technology.' This second grant will support follow-up activities from the first two colloquia, a fall 2003 colloquium centered on overuse of health care services and the business case for quality, and a spring 2004 colloquium on the promises and pitfalls associated with the collection and use of performance data.