Introduction

Purchasers have become acutely aware

of the link between quality and the

rising cost of health care. As a result

many purchasers have begun to develop

a variety of quality improvement

incentive programs with plans and

providers to both improve quality and

reduce the cost of care. These incentives

include ‘paying for performance’ and

various report card schemes. 

The Purchaser-Provider Synergies

program is designed to help purchasers

and providers understand the science

behind these early efforts and benefit

from the experience of purchasers who

have already implemented or are

contemplating incentive programs.

What is AHRQ doing?

Assisting purchasers and providers in

enhancing their quality improvement

(QI), public reporting, and pay-forperformance programs by using quality

measures, tools, and related research

findings. We will provide:

• Information and support to 15

purchaser and community coalitions

on quality-based purchasing (QBP)

measures and tools through a

combination of technical assistance

workshops, Web conferences, and

peer-assist learning networks. 

• Intensive technical assistance for

three local purchasing coalitions,

Medicaid/SCHIP programs,

provider groups, or all-payer groups

to support collaborative community

QI efforts through local workshops,

technical assistance, and peer-assist

learning networks. 

• Targeted national dissemination of

new AHRQ findings and tools

relevant to QBP—as well as lessons

learned by coalitions and local

collaborations while implementing

the PPS strategy—through

presentations at major meetings,

briefings, and Web conferences. 

With whom?

• Selected public and private

purchasers and coalitions.

The mission of AHRQ is to improve the quality,

safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health

care by:

• Using evidence to improve health care.

• Improving health care outcomes through

research.

• Transforming research into practice.

Purchaser-Provider

Synergies Overview

FACT SHEET

Advancing Excellence in Health Care • www.ahrq.gov

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
2

• National Business Coalition on

Health.

• National Business Group on

Health.

• State Medicaid directors.

• General Motors.

• AHRQ's partner is the Centers for

Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Why?

QBP approaches have the potential to

increase the use and effectiveness of QI

efforts by plans and providers. This

could lead to better quality of care and

lower cost to purchasers but only if the

most appropriate measures are applied

in consistent, well conceived programs.

AHRQ can help purchasers and

providers use the right measures and

tools at the local level.

How are AHRQ resources being

used?

• Develop and facilitate technical

assistance interventions, workshops,

and Web-assisted communication.

• Position AHRQ as a knowledge

broker and science partner within

stakeholder networks.

• Provide timely information and

tools to AHRQ stakeholders.

How will we know success? • Coalitions and purchasers will

mount more effective incentive

programs using appropriate

measures and tools.

• Provider organizations will use more

AHRQ and other measures and

tools in response to purchaser

incentive and other QBP programs.

• Purchasers and providers in local

communities will align their use of

incentives and measures creating

larger quality and cost reduction

effects in those communities. 

Synergies with other AHRQ programs

• Supporting business coalitions on

diabetes QI (Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety).

• National Healthcare Quality

Report.

• Decision guide and the Medical

Care Research and Review researchto-practice supplement.

• AHRQ Quality Indicators.

• Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project.

When will we reassess?

An ongoing internal evaluation will

provide process and outcome data on

each project within the strategy. The

data will be reviewed informally for use

in making mid-course corrections.

Formal analysis of evaluation data at

the end of the 2-year project will

provide information for development of

subsequent strategies.

www.ahrq.gov

AHRQ Pub No. 05-P024-4

August 2005