The State, as the entity responsible for licensing healthcare facilities and practitioners, is the focus of government oversight authority. It is likely that most States, if not all, already collect some healthcare data, although the what, how much, and whether voluntary or mandatory varies widely. The details vary from State to State. If there is agreement with the IoM's goal to reduce the number of errors by 50 percent within the next 5 years, then it would appear that the States are the best place to begin that work . To do that and to track progress toward meeting the IoM error-reduction goal, States would have to collect data to identify and analyze systematic problems as well as suggest and measure remedies.
Evidence is that some public reporting of data can change behavior.
To date, it appears as if provider behavior is most affected by public release of performance-related information. New York State's experience with public reporting of cardiac surgery volume and outcomes has generally been positive, as outcomes measured by risk-adjusted mortality rates have steadily improved. Brennan TA, Leape LL, Laird NM, et al. Informed consumers can play a vital role in improving health. Jowell PS, Baille J, Branch SM, et al.