This article first appeared in the June/July 2008 issue of the newsletter "States in Action."

The Oregon Health Care Quality Corporation, based in Portland, Oregon, is a nonprofit partnership that brings together physician groups, nurses, hospitals, health plans, purchasers, consumers, and policymakers in an effort to improve the quality of health care in Oregon through community-wide collaboration. The group focuses on projects that measure and report care quality, assist providers to improve quality, engage consumers in decisions about their care, and foster electronic exchange of health information. Project priorities are set by a 32-member Board of Directors, which includes representation from Oregon state agencies.

The Quality Corporation is currently focused on Aligning Forces for Quality in Oregon, an initiative led by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to assist communities in aligning market forces to improve the quality of health care for patients with chronic conditions. The goal is to enable providers to measure their performance and improve their ability to deliver quality care, and to help patients and consumers understand their role in recognizing and demanding high-quality care. To measure performance, the Quality Corporation is helping providers organize and collect electric medical record data. Legal and policy issues have posed a barrier to measurement and reporting, and the Quality Corporation is working with its partners to resolve these issues.

The Quality Corporation is on track to report quality measurement data in early 2009, with public reporting to occur in the fall of that year. In preparation for the release of publicly reported data, the Corporation is working with providers to help them use the data for quality improvement, and collaborating with health care access advocacy organizations to give consumers information that helps them partner with their doctors in managing their own care.

The Quality Corporation had also been coordinating with stakeholders to create a sustainable health information exchange. While this project is currently on hold due to funding constraints, the Quality Corporation remains committed to building Oregon's health information system. In addition, the Quality Corporation acts in an advisory capacity to the Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration, which is working to ensure the security and privacy of health information exchanges.