In pursuit of excellence: the checkpoint journey

In March 2004, the Wisconsin Hospital Association launched CheckPoints (www.wicheckpoint.org) to provide consumers with information on the quality and safety of hospital care, and to assist hospitals and physicians in quality improvement activities. Since its inception, the state average achievement for all CheckPoint measures has increased or maintained a high initial rate, with 99% of Wisconsin hospitals voluntarily participating. The current state average is greater than 90% or 90 points (scale 0-100 points) on 11 of the original 19 measures. Over the next 2 years, additional measures will be added that will expand the scope of information available on CheckPoint.