Quality Alignment

CPCQC has no formal involvement in HQIP, or the Hospital Quality Incentive Program. HQIP is run by the Colorado Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing (HCPF), and includes perinatal measures. Through informal advisory and consultation, CPCQC has provided expert opinions on the perinatal measures and resources in HQIP, but cannot directly influence HQIP measures or scoring. 

CPCQC has aligned its Quality Improvement programs with some elements of HQIP to ensure that hospitals have technical assistance support as they strive towards the goals of HQIP, but hospital involvement with CPCQC is completely separate from participation in HQIP. Participating with CPCQC is not required for completion of HQIP measures, nor does participation in CPCQC programs alone meet the requirements of HQIP (without completing the required HQIP documentation and reporting).

CPCQC and HQIP are separate entities. HQIP, run by the state, requires specific reporting deliverables for tracking progress, scoring hospital performance, and processing incentives. 

CPCQC, on the other hand, collects data to support participating teams in CPCQC’s quality improvement (QI) efforts; those QI efforts may or may not be aligned with the hospital’s goals for HQIP. The data submitted to CPCQC by hospitals participating in QI programs helps CPCQC evaluate progress, identify trends, and guide hospitals in their ongoing improvement work, but is wholly separate from HQIP.

CPCQC and HQIP are separate entities, each funded through different sources and with distinct purposes and data reporting requirements. Additionally, perinatal measures are just one component of the hospital-wide measures within HQIP. As a result, data must be submitted separately for HQIP and for CPCQC quality improvement programs. However, CPCQC and HQIP are in active conversations about how to better align and streamline data requirements in the future to avoid redundancies and reduce hospital data burden.

SPARK and HQIP are intentionally aligned so that participation in SPARK provides technical assistance to help teams achieve the measures in the Postpartum Discharge Transitions measure group in HQIP.

Progress in SPARK translates to the progress you can report to HQIP, though reporting data to CPCQC for SPARK does not eliminate the need for the hospital to report data to HQIP. Further, CPCQC has no influence over hospital HQIP submissions or scoring, as that process is entirely run by HCPF.

Substance use is a leading contributor to maternal mortality, making it a key area of focus. Because CPCQC already has a dedicated program addressing this topic—Turning the Tide—SPARK did not duplicate those efforts. However, if your team participates in SPARK but not Turning the Tide, the SPARK team can connect you with relevant information and resources for SUD screening and intervention.