Indicators and Benchmarks

Canadian Institute for Health Information

This is an independent organization providing Canadians with essential statistics and analysis about their health and their health care system. CIHI is a source of information for those seeking answers to critical questions around the performance of the Canadian health system, the delivery of health care, and the status of Canadians' health. Functions include:

• Identifies and promotes national health indicators;
• Coordinates and promotes the development and maintenance of national health information standards;
• Develops and manages databases and registries: health care services, health human resources, and health spending.
• Examines what factors determine good health (Canadian Population Health Initiative).

www.cihi.ca

Continuous Enhancement of Quality Measurement in Primary Mental Health Care (CEQM) - CEQM

This is designed to foster future quality improvement in primary mental health care by developing a consensus set of practice-level quality indicators and working towards implementation of these indicators nationally. Indicators are still under development. Contact: Paul Waraich, Assistant Professor (UBC), (604) 512-8312, waraich@interchange.ubc.ca. PHCTF Project: Data not available until March 2006

Health Disparities Collaboratives in Primary Health Care

Committed to disseminating the best in improvement resources to chronic care innovators and researchers. It has developed collaboratives in diabetes, depression, asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancer and prevention. National measures based on evidence-based guidelines have been developed and are based on a quality improvement model. http://www.healthdisparities.net/hdc/html/home.aspx

Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP)

Does research on the health of Manitobans and has developed administrative indicators for family physicians. A Population Health Information System (POPULIS) was developed by MCHP to relate the health of the population to the use of health care services - hospitals, doctors, nursing homes, prescription drugs, home care - and to economic and social factors. Analyses can be provided at different geographic levels, including Regional Health Authorities, municipalities or hospital service areas. http://www.umanitoba.ca/centres/mchp/reports/pdfs/quality_wo.pdf

National Quality Measures Clearinghouse (NQMC)

Sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is a public repository for evidence-based quality measures and measure sets. It provides a Measure Index, a complete list of measure summaries available through the NQMC Web site. The listing is organized alphabetically, by measure developer and/or submitter name (measure developers and submitters include both organizations and individuals). http://www.qualitymeasures.ahrq.gov/

New Zealand - PHO Performance Management Program

This document outlines the background and purpose of the PHO Performance Management Program, along with pre-requisites to participation in the Program, the funding available, the indicators against which PHOs will be measured and the reporting which will be provided to PHOs, DHBs and the Ministry. http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/wpg_index/-Primary+Health+Care+PHO+Performance+Management+Programme

Primary Health Care in Alberta

This planning document overviews Alberta's approach to PHC through local primary care initiatives and includes indicators for measuring PHC. http://www.health.gov.ab.ca/public/in_primary.pdf

Primary Health Care: Six Dimensions of Inquiry

This document done by Howard Research for Alberta Health and Wellness overviews the six dimensions for measuring quality in primary health care including access, integration, quality, health status, cost-effectiveness, and transferability. http://www.health.gov.ab.ca/Key/PHC_Monograph.pdf

Resources for Primary Health Care Organizations

This Web page from new Zealand contains information on funding guidelines, service specifications, performance indicators, data elements, audit protocols, enrolment rules and guidelines, PHO projects, etc. http://www.moh.govt.nz/pho

World Organization of Family Doctors (Wonca)

Wonca is an unusual, yet convenient acronym comprising the first five initials of the World Organization of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physician – organizations concerned with the academic aspects of general family practice. The province of Newfoundland is taking the Canadian lead in looking at Wonca's INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF PRIMARY CARE (ICPC) where health care providers could classify, using a single classification, three important elements of the health care encounter: reasons for encounter (RFE), diagnoses or problems, and process of care. Problem orientation of the medical record and linkage of encounters over time permits classification of the episode from the beginning with an RFE to its conclusion with a more defined problem, diagnosis, or disease. http://www.globalfamilydoctor.com/wicc/sensi.html