Starting in July 2009 and continuing through the end of the year, Healthy Memphis Common Table is releasing a series of "Take Charge for Better Health" reports designed to help Memphis-area residents focus on how they can contribute to helping Memphis become one of the nation's healthiest cities. Fundamental to the "Take Charge for Better Health" initiative is the belief that each of us, whether we are employers, physicians, hospitals, health plans, community organizations, or individuals, should "take charge" within our own sphere of influence to do what we can to improve health and healthcare. As the reports say: Those who give care ........ need information to better understand what they do well and what they need to improve."The tricky part is to get everyone who gives care, gets care and pays for care on the same page when it comes to making health care better. Each group has a role to play in improving care. We believe that putting good information in the hands of those who need it can support these efforts. Those who get care ......... need information to make decisions about what good care is and how to get it. Those who pay for care .... need information about the quality and price of care in order to determine whether health care delivers value that's worth the investment. Part of our work at the Healthy Memphis Common Table is to report information to the public about the quality of health care in our community. In a series of reports titled TAKE CHARGE for better health, we will provide guidance about: • using information to recognize good care, • using information to get good care, and • using information to give good care." The first 3 reports are now available and focus on physician performance. This information is critical to identifying what areas of patient care need to be improved as well as critical for people to knowing what good care is and to selecting physicians that are providing good care. Just released!!! Physician Practice Performance Report Check out the first physician practice performance report with information on 50 Memphis-area primary care practices re: diabetes, cardiovascular and preventive care. See the attached document below, but also go to www.healthymemphis.org to see additional information on the project. Read Report #1 while you are on the website.Also Available: Patient's Perspective of Their PhysicianGo to www.healthymemphis.org . Scroll all the way down and select "Patient Experience Survey" to get to the Healthy Memphis/Consumer Checkbook website. Earlier this year, patients were surveyed on their experience of care with over 400 Memphis-area physicians, including family practitioners, general practitioners, internal medicine specialists, cardiologists, and OB/GYNs. Results are now available at this website. |