Collaborative Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility criteria to join TQIP as a Collaborative include the following:

• Must be a group of three or more hospitals with the shared goal of system performance improvement through collaboration.
• Must form a Collaborative that consists of entirely either adult Level I and II TQIP trauma centers or of entirely pediatric Level I and II TQIP trauma centers.

TQIP offers both an adult and a pediatric Collaborative option for Level I and II centers. At this time, adult and pediatric centers must form separate Collaborative Groups.

To accommodate Collaboratives of various sizes and organizational structures, TQIP offers two options for the administration and pricing for Collaboratives:

Third Party Paid and Administered

• The third party (for example, health department, foundation, hospital system) is an entity that has a lead role in the trauma system development and oversight. The Third Party engages in contracting and payment directly with TQIP to administer the Collaborative.
• The annual Collaborative fee is based on the number of Level I and II centers that will participate in your Collaborative. See the chart below to determine the appropriate fee for your Collaborative tier.

Hospital Paid and Administered

• A group of hospitals that do not fall under the scope of a third party entity will engage in contracting and payment directly with TQIP.
• Each participating hospital will sign an Addendum to the TQIP Hospital Participation Agreement that will serve as the Collaborative contracting agreement.
• The Collaborative fee is paid by individual hospitals with an annual participation fee of $500 per hospital. This fee is in addition to the annual TQIP hospital participation fee.

Note: All Collaborative fees are separate from the annual Level I and II TQIP participation fee.

In the Third Party Paid and Administered structure, the trauma system lead agency or third party entity administering the Collaborative pays the annual TQIP Collaborative fee (for example, health department, foundation, state COT).

In the Hospital Paid and Administered structure, the TQIP Collaborative fee is paid by the individual participating hospitals.

If these payment models do not fit your collaborative structure, please contact us at tqip@facs.org.

Yes, the TQIP Collaborative fee is separate from the fee paid by individual hospitals. The Collaborative fee allows TQIP to provide system-level deliverables, while the hospital participation fee encompasses the deliverables provided directly to individual hospitals.

Yes, as long as your center is fully enrolled or in the process of enrolling in Level I and II TQIP and meets one of the following “in process” criteria, your center can proceed with participating in the TQIP Collaborative*:

• Center has completed an application to schedule a Level I or II ACS Verification or Consultation visit within the next 24 months
• Center has applied for Level I or II trauma center designation at the state level (documentation must be provided)
• Center is provisionally designated as a Level I or II trauma center by their state (documentation must be provided)

*However, your data will not be included in Collaborative reporting until you are fully enrolled in TQIP and you have received your first TQIP Benchmark Report.

Steps to getting started are:

1. Identify an Administrative Leader and Surgeon Leader for the Collaborative.
2. Submit a completed TQIP Collaborative Information Form to tqip@facs.org.
3. Participate in an initial informational conference call with TQIP staff and Collaborative leaders to identify any unique needs of your system and to develop a timeline for Collaborative enrollment.
4. Execute a TQIP Collaborative Agreement.
5. Pay the appropriate annual TQIP Collaborative fee for your Collaborative tier.
6. Ensure all the hospitals in your Collaborative have fully enrolled in TQIP and have signed the appropriate Collaborative contract addendum.

Collaboratives receive deliverables in the areas of reporting, data analytics tools, and training and education. See the TQIP Collaboratives Overview page for more information on Collaborative deliverables.