Minnesota has several quality initiatives in place to encourage high quality, low cost health care within the state.  Primarily, health care providers are required to maintain information on quality of care, utilization and outcomes, as this data may be requested by the Commissioner of Health.1  Health plans may also require contracted providers to report standardized quality measures.2

        In addition, Minnesota has established programs that deal exclusively with improving quality for state purchased health care.  The law requires all health care services offered by providers or by medical homes be assessed based on quality measures established by the Commissioner of Health.3  The Center for Health Care Purchasing Improvement aims to make cost and quality more transparent, create more accountability for health care outcomes, and identify barriers to efficient, effective quality health care.4  For those enrolled in state medical assistance programs, such as Medicaid, the Commissioner of Human Services must establish quality incentive payments to reward high quality, low cost providers and to create incentives for those enrolled in state health care programs to receive care from such providers.5  The state has fostered better performance and higher quality health care for beneficiaries of medical assistance programs through the establishment and use of health care homes.  The law requires health care homes to be evaluated three and five years after implementation to assess their performance and quality of care.6  The Commissioner of Health is also authorized to develop other innovative programs in health care delivery, such as accountable care organizations to be used in the delivery of health care services to Medicaid beneficiaries.  The payment system for such projects may include incentive payments to providers who meet or exceed annual quality and performance targets.7  The state has also put into place a quality profile system for nursing facilities that provide medical assistance to the needy under Medicaid or Medicare.  The purpose of such a system is to provide quality information on nursing facilities to consumers and their families, providers, public and private purchasers of long term care.8