Confidential data. Meaningful comparisons. Better surgical care.
SCW provides Wisconsin hospitals and surgeons with confidential, benchmarked performance reports that identify opportunities for improvement and track changes in surgical care over time.
Reports are developed using existing statewide data and performance measures selected by SCW members, allowing hospitals and surgeons to compare their performance with statewide benchmarks.
Benchmark Performance
Confidentially compare hospital and surgeon performance with statewide benchmarks.
Identify Opportunities
Recognize variation and focus quality-improvement efforts where they can have the greatest impact.
Track Improvement
Monitor changes in surgical practice, quality, utilization, and outcomes over time.
No additional data collection required
SCW builds on Wisconsin’s existing healthcare data infrastructure, eliminating the need for participating hospitals and surgeons to manually abstract and submit additional clinical data. This makes meaningful performance reporting accessible to hospitals of all sizes, including rural and critical access hospitals.
Reports are provided to surgeons at no cost. A confidential report is available for every Wisconsin surgeon with sufficient case volume in the procedures being measured, even if they have not previously participated in the collaborative.
How SCW develops its reports
The SCW Data Coordinating Center uses established measurement algorithms and evidence-based adjustment methods to develop semiannual reports for participating hospitals and surgeons. These reports draw on two statewide data sources: the Wisconsin Hospital Association and the Wisconsin Health Information Organization.
Wisconsin Hospital Association
As required by state statute, all Wisconsin hospital and surgery centers submit data on inpatient stays and outpatient surgeries to WHA each quarter. This complete coverage allows for an unbiased longitudinal assessment of patient healthcare utilization and related quality metrics across all Wisconsin facilities.
Wisconsin Health Information Organization
WHIO’s All-Payer Claims Database is the largest source of health care data and information in Wisconsin, including data on outpatient care and prescriptions. These data are provided voluntarily by health insurance companies, Medicaid and some self-funded employers. The WHIO includes 18 statewide insurers and covers 75% of the state’s population.
Explore sample performance reports
Breast Cancer Surgery
Postoperative Opioid Prescribing
Colorectal Surgery
Receiving your report
Reports are distributed directly to surgeons by email and at select SCW educational events. Pairing performance reports with relevant education helps surgeons interpret their data, compare their performance with statewide benchmarks, and identify opportunities for improvement.