The Fund supports networks of state health policy decision makers to help identify, inspire, and inform policy leaders.
A bipartisan group of state health policymakers from both the executive and legislative branches who are focused on improving population health.
Supporting networks of state officials, advocates, and others aiming to invest in and transform primary care.
Advancing state-based efforts to make health care more affordable for residents, employers, and states.
The Milbank Memorial Fund supports two state leadership programs for legislative and executive branch state government officials committed to improving population health.
A leadership development program for early and mid-career state government officials who are committed to improving the health of all people in their communities.
A leadership program for senior state government officials who are committed to improving population health.
The Fund focuses on creating an affordable health care system built on strong primary care and partnerships that improve health outcomes for all.
Improving state leaders ability to enact and implement evidence-based health policies.
Advancing policies that create a more prevention- and primary care-oriented health system.
Improving population health through policies that contain health care cost growth.
Our state health policy resources provide relevant data analysis and best practices.
The Fund publishes reports, issues briefs, and case studies on state health policy issues.
Short takes on health policy issues from Milbank staff and guest authors.
Insights from Milbank President Debra Lubar on state health policymaking.
Reported articles and Q&As on timely health policy issues, as well as foundation updates.
Upcoming and past Milbank Memorial Fund and Milbank Quarterly webinars featuring state health policymakers and researchers.
Updates and expert contact information for reporters.
The Milbank Memorial Fund is a private foundation that works to improve population health and health equity.
March 2017 (Volume 95)
Quarterly Article
Christoph Pross
Alexander Geissler
Reinhard Busse
Sep 17, 2026
Sep 14, 2026
Sep 9, 2026
Back to The Milbank Quarterly
Context: Studies have documented wide quality variation among hospitals within and across countries. Increasing quality-of-care accountability for hospitals, especially for patients and the general public, is an important policy objective, but no study has yet systematically and comprehensively compared leading countries’ initiatives in this regard.
Methods: Based on expert interviews and an extensive literature review, we investigate hospital quality accountability in England, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States. The underlying framework includes 3 elements: measuring quality, reporting quality, and rewarding quality. Each element is subdivided into 2 dimensions, with measuring composed of indicator type and data source, reporting composed of degree of reporting centralization and data accessibility, and rewarding composed of extent of application and type of quality-related payments.
Findings: The results show a wide spectrum of approaches and progress levels. Measuring strategies are more similar across countries, while quality reporting and financial rewards are more dissimilar. Reporting of process indicators is more prevalent than reporting of outcomes. Most countries have introduced some quality-related payment schemes, with the United States having the most comprehensive approach. Based on the cross-country assessment, 5 policy levers to enhance quality transparency are identified and illustrated through country-specific examples: (1) the government should take a central role in establishing standards and incentives for quality transparency and health IT system integration; (2) system centralization and decentralization need to be balanced to ensure both national comparability and local innovation; (3) health systems need to focus more on outcome transparency and less on process measures; (4) health systems need to engage providers as proponents of quality transparency; and (5) reporting should focus on hospital and condition levels to ensure comparability and enable meaningful patient choice.
Conclusions: The findings facilitate cross-country learning and best-practice adoption by assessing hospital quality accountability strategies in 5 countries in a structured and comparative manner. The identified policy levers are relevant for enhancing breadth, depth, and value of quality accountability.
Author(s): Christoph Pross, Alexander Geissler, and Reinhard Busse
Keywords: health care quality assessment, quality accountability, pay-for-performance, hospital quality of care, public reporting, comparative health policy.
Read on Wiley Online Library
Volume 95, Issue 1 (pages 136–183) DOI: 10.1111/1468-0009.12248 Published in 2017