Overview

Health Care Quality Improvement
The great variation of quality highlights the profound impact that quality improvement could have in the health care system. State governments have been pioneers in linking quality improvement to cost reduction through innovative quality and price transparency initiatives—as well as the development of disease management programs to improve health outcomes for Medicaid beneficiaries and state employees. Governors in particular can play a major role in leading initiatives to house measurement data and create data sharing and transparency agreements across multiple stakeholder groups.

Regulation
Many of the rules and regulations governing health insurers and providers—as well as the health care system itself—are determined or implemented at the state level. States regulate health plans; set health care quality reporting requirements for Health Management Organizations (HMOs) and other managed care plans; license physicians, pharmacists, nurses, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and ambulatory care clinics; and implement medical malpractice regulations, medical liability rules, and medical error reporting systems.

State Alliance for e-Health
The NGA Center for Best Practices has announced the creation of the State Alliance for e-Health, an initiative designed to improve the nation's health care system through the formation of a collaborative body that enables states to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the health information technology (HIT) initiatives they develop.