Transparency: Common Questions and Answers
 

Q:

What is Transparency?
    A: Transparency is being open and honest about the safety, quality, and level of patient satisfaction related to the care we provide—as a means of fulfilling our promise to deliver exceptional medicine and compassionate care.
 

Q:


Why is Transparency important?
    A: Transparency is important for several reasons:
  • Our providers, patients, and the communities we serve deserve to know how we're doing and how our performance compares to that of other health care providers.
  • It is the right thing to do given PeaceHealth’s mission of carrying on the healing mission of Jesus Christ by promoting personal and community health, relieving pain and suffering, and treating each person in a loving and caring way.
  • Employers, payers (private health insurance companies and the government), and health care consumers are demanding it.
  • The need for transparency was among the recommendations contained in the March 2001 Institute of Medicine report: Crossing the Quality Chasm.
 

Q:


What quality measures is PeaceHealth being transparent about?
    A: Currently available on the PeaceHealth Performance Measures website are:
  • Quarterly results on a variety of quality measures from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), including comparisons to national JCAHO rates.
  • Performance on measures relating to specific PeaceHealth quality initiatives (organizational health and diabetes care).
  • PeaceHealth performance on National Patient Safety Goals.
  • PeaceHealth performance on Home Health Measures, including comparisons to national averages.

To review all of the measures that are currently being reported, please visit the Performance Measures website.

 

Q:


Does transparency violate Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules and regulations?
    A: No. Being transparent means openly sharing our quality performance results; it does not mean disclosing protected information about the patients we serve. HIPAA protects against the sharing of patient-specific information without proper authorization.
 

Q:


Who would I contact in my region to learn more about Transparency?
    A: Please see attached Transparency Organizational Chart and Who’s Who list.
 

Back to Main Transparency Page