Overview: PPO performance measurement: Agenda for the future

This special issue of Medical Care Research and Review features articles developed for a national conference on performance measurement in preferred provider organizations (PPOs). The conference, " PPO Performance Measurement: Agenda for the Future," was held March 15-16, 2001, in Washington, D.C. It brought together various stakeholders-industry representatives, consumers, purchasers, and regulators-to discuss the state of PPO performance reporting and develop a strategy for future directions, These articles provided the background for an informed dialogue. The American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (URAC), the Consumer Coalition for Quality HealthCare, the joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, anti the National Committee for Quality Assurance cosponsored the conference with a grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to URAC.