Quality Care

Quality Programs

HMSA’s efforts to ensure quality in Hawaii’s health care system include the following programs and initiatives:

• HMSA’s Practitioner Quality and Service Recognition (PQSR) program evaluates and rewards physicians who maintain a high level of patient care and service based on best-practice guidelines. In 2009, HMSA paid $8.5 million to 2,899 practitioners through the PQSR program. Since 1998, Hawaii physicians have received $92 million in payments for meeting program measures for health care quality, patient safety, patient satisfaction, and efficiency.
• HMSA’s Hospital Quality and Service Recognition (HQSR) program recognizes hospitals for delivering efficient, quality care that focuses on patient safety and physician and patient satisfaction. In 2009, 15 participating hospitals received $5.3 million through the HQSR program. Since 2001, Hawaii hospitals have received $51.7 million in awards for meeting program measures.
• HMSA’s HMO Quality and Performance (Q&P) program evaluates the quality of care and service delivered by practitioners in HMSA’s health maintenance organization plans. Last year, 23 HMO health centers received $5.7 million through the program. Since 1998, health centers across the state have received $34.4 million through the Q&P program.
• The HMSA Initiative for Innovation and Quality (HI-IQ) program, which ended Dec. 31, 2009, provided financial assistance to help Hawaii hospitals and physicians implement technological solutions to make the state’s health care system more effective and efficient. Since the program’s inception in 2006, HMSA awarded grants totaling $41 million to physicians and eligible hospitals to support improvements in patient care and outcomes. Additionally, the program helped 734 HMSA participating physicians acquire and implement electronic medical record (EMR) systems.