After this session , you will be able to:

Understand the national issues underlying the current emphasis on pay-for-performance.

Explain the relationship, as it is known to date, of cost and quality of the national CMS/Premier Hospital Quality Initiative Demonstration (HQID) project.

Utilize lessons learned from top performers in the HQID project to successfully operate in a pay-for-performance environment, including using data to identify clinical opportunities for improvement that will result in ROI.

Identify classification methodologies employed in pay-for-performance initiatives to ensure fair and equitable measurement, including the 3M APR-DRG Classification System.

Recognize the strategic/financial benefits, as well as challenges and possible disadvantages, for hospitals participating in pay-for-performance programs.