The NC Healthcare Quality Resource Center has been created to organize helpful resources focused on evaluating, identifying and highlighting quality and best value healthcare services, insurers, providers, hospitals or facilities. Links to key local and national organizations focused on quality improvement and/or enhancing patient safety and reducing medical errors can be reviewed.

More information is being made available to the public on "best value" quality, cost and service providers in healthcare. To that end, links to various accrediting organizations such as the National Committee of Quality Assurance (NCQA), Bridges to Excellence, the NC Department of Insurance or the Joint Commission are provided. Other up and coming organizations including Healthgrades and the Leap Frog Group's links providing various healthcare quality ratings are provided. In addition, NC insurers are doing more to highlight their provider networks and recognize those healthcare professional that deliver the highest quality and/or service. NC insurers' provider directories along with newly developed tools like BCBS of NC's Cardiac or Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence are included. Furthermore, NC physicians, healthcare providers or organizations that have been selected by national recognition programs sponsored by such organizations as the ADA or AHA are highlighted. In addition, links to healthcare quality assessments on medical errors, long term care, disease management and/or behavioral health can be found.

Suggest a Link

• HMO/POS NC Plans    /    PPO NC Plans
  National Committee Quality Insurance (NCQA) Accreditation with Excellent, Commendable, Accredited, Provisional, Denied Quality Rankings
• North Carolina's Department of Insurance
  General information on filing insurance information and filing complaints
• HMO and PPO approved plans in NC

• NC Insurer's Information
  United Healthcare's Premium SM Provider Directory Search by Location, Name or Quality & Efficacy Rankings-
  a. Cancer Physicians
  b. Muscoskeletal, Ortho, Neuro
  c. Heart/Stroke Physician & Facilities
  d. Diabetes
• BCBS of NC's Centers of Excellence
  Top performing specialty doctors and health care facilities that meet strict national quality standards have been selected by BCBS of NC. Currently, includes a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence and Cardiac Centers of Excellence/Surgeons in NC
• BCBS of NC's Provider Directory for Blue Care, Blue Choice, Blue Option and Blue Advantage
• BCBSof NC's Provider Search for NC
• Aetna's Provider Directory for NC
  DocFind will assist in selecting healthcare providers or facilities by zip code, city, county and/or provider name.
• Cigna's Provider Excellence Recognition Directory
  Provider and hospital directory Excellence Recognition Director for physicians and hospitals based on the NCQA's Diabetes, Heart, Stroke and Patient Safety programs
• Coventry's Provider Directory for NC
  On line search directory for Wellpath's HMO and POS products

• NC Medical Society
  Physician links to reputable peer reviewed EBM national/regional guidelines, quality of care and patient safety links, patient health records and finding a physician
• Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence
  A not for profit dedicated to providing leadership, education and services to promote quality improvement and cost effective healthcare in NC
• The Quality Council of North Carolina

• AMA Physician Consortium
  Collaborative venture to improve quality measures via CMS.
• National Surgery Quality Improvement Program
  Collaborative venture to improve quality measures via CMS.
• Improving Performance in Practice (IPIP)
• National Quality Forum
  Works to develop appropriate standards of healthcare measurement and public reporting
• American College of Medical Quality
  Dedicated to improving healthcare quality, this organization provides resources and education for providers, payors, purchasers or legislators.
• Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (USDHSS)

• NC Medical Society's Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality
  Various resources including a downloadable electronic medical record and other important links provided.
• Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (USDHSS)
• 100k Lives Campaign (IHI) From the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, outlines a program focusing on reducing medical errors in the hospital environment
• Medical Errors Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (FDA)
• Joint Commission International Center for Patient Safety
• National Coordinating Council for Medical Error Reporting and Prevention
• Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization- Guidelines for patient safety
• AHA's Get With The Guidelines (GWTG)
  Is a premier hospital-based quality improvement program for the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. It empowers healthcare provider teams to consistently treat heart and stroke patients according to the most up-to-date guidelines.

• Bridges to Excellence Rewarding Quality Across the Healthcare System
  General website created to encourage significant leaps in the quality of care by rewarding healthcare providers who deliver safe, effective and patient centered car
• Bridges to Excellence
  Provides link to Diabetes Carelink (DCL), Physician Office Link (POL) and Cardiac Care Link (CCL) promoting a higher quality of care
• AHA/ASA/NCQA's Heart Stroke Recognition Program with Highlighted Physician List
• AHA/ASA/NCQA's Diabetes Recognition Program with Highlighted Physician List
• AAHA/ASA/NCQA's Physician Practice Connection w/Award Recognition
  Highlights physician practices that use up to date systems designed to enhance patient care
• Healthgrades
  Physician Information including disciplinary action, board certification, phone numbers, locations, education and training (Must be purchased from Healthgrades at a cost of $9.95/report)
• NC Medical Society's On Line Physician Directory
• NC Medical Board's On Line Physician Directory

• Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JACO)
• www.qualitycheck.org/consumer/searchQCR.aspx   /   www.qualitycheck.org
  JACO's Healthcare Organization Quality Check SEARCH by city, state, name or zip code to review local healthcare organization. Will review compliance to national quality improvement goals as well as compliance to JACO's national patient safety goals.
• The Leap Frog Group's NC Hospital Quality and Safety Survey Results
• BCBSNC's Hospital Comparison Tool
  (Must be a BCBSNC member- Log in Required to Access)
• Healthgrades
  Review 31 different procedures and a (3) Tiered Complications Rating in various NC hospitals
• Healthgrades
  Comprehensive Hospital Report sorted by NC town or city
• Healthgrades
  Hospitals Sorted by Specialty Excellence highlighting (10) specialties including Critical Care, Gastro Intestinal, General Surgery, Maternity Care, Orthopedic, Pulmonary, Stroke, Vascular, Women's Health
• Methodology for Specialty Excellence Rankings
• Healthgrades
  Hospitals sorted by Patient Safety Criteria
• Methodology for Patient Safety Ranking
• Healthgrades
  Clinical Excellence for last year and current year
• Methodology for the Distinguished Hospital/Clinical Excellence Ranking
• Minimally Invasive Procedure (MIP) Compared to Conventional Surgery
  Indentify physicians in your area who can perform MIP
• IHI's Hospital Participants in the100k Program
  On line membership provided for those hospitals part of a national campaign from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement committed to reducing medical errors
• NC Center for Hospital Quality and Patient Safety

• Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations

• NCQA's Accreditation Rankings

• NCQA's Accreditation Rankings based on Full, 1 Year, Provisional or Denied Descriptions