The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) created the Comparative Health System Performance (CHSP) Initiative to study the characteristics of high-performing health systems and to understand how health systems use evidence-based practices, including patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR). The effective adoption and use of PCOR evidence holds promise as a way to improve clinical outcomes and reduce costs. However, little is known about the characteristics of high-performing health systems and the role of PCOR evidence in health system performance. The CHSP Initiative aims to address these knowledge gaps and accelerate the diffusion of PCOR evidence among health systems. Specifically, the objectives of the CHSP Initiative are to:
• Classify and characterize types of health systems and compare their performance on clinical and cost outcomes.
• Identify characteristics of high-performing health systems.
• Evaluate the role of PCOR in health system performance.
• Promote the diffusion of PCOR evidence across health systems nationally.
The Compendium of U.S. Health Systems, which presents a list of health systems in the United States, is a step toward classifying and characterizing health systems and is a data resource to help advance research on health systems. The Compendium is intended to be a resource for researchers, policymakers, health system leaders, and others who seek to study health systems and will be updated over the course of the 5-year initiative to reflect the evolving health care delivery environment. Click below to see what data they have gathered so far during this initiative: