About Aligning Forces for Quality in Wisconsin

Originally launched in 2006, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RJWF) began a regional market project (AF4Q) to help communities build a system of healthcare where none existed. Since many healthcare markets function in a fragmented manner, the foundation sought to expand the scope of the project under the premise that collaboration among healthcare organizations is a missing link in the effort to improve care. In June 2008, 14 communities across the country received word that they would receive a portion of a $300 million commitment by RWJF to expand to include inpatient care, a focus on care disparities among racial and ethnic groups, and a renewed focus on the role of the nurse in providing excellent care.

The Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ), and many organizations including WHA, spearheaded the effort to secure funding for projects in Wisconsin. WHA is proud to be a key participant in this expanded effort. The project's leadership team conducted strategic planning sessions to evaluate approaches for applying the resources the grant provides. WHA's hiring of a dedicated project manager in January 2009 ensures that hospitals across the state will be in the loop on the progress of initiatives and programs, and have many opportunities to actively participate.

In the words of WHA President Steve Brenton, "Wisconsin's quality initiatives are provider-led with the active participation of many partners, including the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ), MetaStar, the Wisconsin Medical Society, and all our hospitals and health systems. We have made a real and lasting investment so we can advance what we do and continue to aspire to lead nationally."

WHA 2008 Chair Ken Buser noted that "Wisconsin hospitals are already highly committed to quality improvement. Over the last several years, as the science of quality improvement has advanced, our mission has become to embed quality into every patient encounter. We are very grateful to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for the resources that will move us closer to our goal while raising the bar on health care quality even higher in Wisconsin."