Cooperative cardiovascular project (CCP) quality improvement in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont

The Cooperative Cardiovascular Project (CCP) is a nationwide quality improvement project (quality indicator measurement, feed-back, remeasurement) in Medicare acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients sponsored by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). In Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, 3,472 baseline records were abstracted from 76 hospitals from January 1994 to February 1995. After feedback, 2,270 remeasurements were collected from October 1996 to May 1997. At remeasurement, performance improved significantly for 'ideal' candidates (defined by the CCP) on five quality indicators - aspirin during hospitalization 88% to 93% (p < .001), thrombolytic timing 60% to 69% (p < .01), discharge aspirin 83% to 90% (p < .001), discharge beta-blockers 69% to 82% (p < .01), and calcium channel blocker avoidance 83% to 93% (p < .05). Reperfusion, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, and smoking cessation advice did not improve significantly. This study demonstrates that evidence-based indicators, nationally designed data collection, and locally based interventions can significantly improve AMI care.