California Quality Collaborative

What California Quality Collaborative does

California Quality Collaborative (CQC) is a nonprofit healthcare quality improvement program operated by the Purchaser Business Group on Health (PBGH), founded in 2006 and headquartered in Oakland, California. CQC functions as a neutral convener that aligns health plans, providers, purchasers, and state agencies to co-design scalable solutions improving quality, equity, and outcomes across California's healthcare delivery system. The organization serves 20M+ Californians through aligned partners including Aetna, Blue Shield of California, Health Net, L.A. Care Health Plan, Covered California, and CalPERS. With a small team of 8 staff members, CQC operates primarily through a distributed model combining convening, technical assistance, and multi-year improvement collaboratives.

CQC's core service portfolio spans practice coaching, organizational improvement advising, consulting, design and evaluation, multi-stakeholder alignment, learning and training, convening, and improvement collaboratives. These services are delivered through programmatic initiatives including the California Advanced Primary Care Initiative, Behavioral Health Integration Initiative, CalHIVE BHI, EQuIP-LA, Health Equity, Hospital Safety, Maternal Health, Aging, Data Capabilities, and the Payment Model Demonstration Project. The underlying technology stack includes advanced data architecture supporting clinician-level performance analytics, cloud-based services, and API connections for health information exchange, with active participation in California's Data Exchange Framework. CQC also hosts flagship events including the annual Catalyst for Health Forum and BHI Healthcare Leadership Summit.

The business model combines sponsorship revenue (from organizations aligning with CQC's initiatives), event registration fees (typically $300 per attendee for summits and workshops), and fee-based technical assistance services including practice coaching, organizational improvement advising, and the PATH technical assistance marketplace. CQC is funded through a mix of foundation grants (notably the California Health Care Foundation), purchaser and health plan contributions, and event sponsorship. Pricing varies by program and engagement scope, with team discounts and early bird pricing available for workshops. The organization is entirely California-focused with no documented geographic expansion beyond state borders.

Name

California Quality Collaborative

Legal name

Purchaser Business Group on Health

Website

https://calquality.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Short description

California Quality Collaborative is a nonprofit healthcare quality improvement program of the Purchaser Business Group on Health that aligns health plans, providers, and purchasers across California to co-design scalable solutions improving quality, equity, and outcomes for over 20 million Californians.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Quality Improvement Consulting

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Care Management & Coordination Platforms (case/disease management workflows) (HLACAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integrated Behavioral Health in Primary Care (Collaborative Care) (HLAFACAO), Quality Assurance (QA), Coaching & Performance Management (EDABACAF)

Keywords

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Practice transformation consulting
• Multi-stakeholder alignment
• Value-based payment models
• Behavioral health integration

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship Revenue: CQC offers sponsorship opportunities for organizations to align with healthcare quality initiatives and gain visibility among senior healthcare leaders at flagship events including Catalyst for Health and the Healthcare Leadership Summit.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue generated from registration fees for conferences, workshops, and training sessions such as the BHI Healthcare Leadership Summit ($300) and Improvement Coaching Workshop ($300 per person).
3. Technical Assistance Services: Fee-based technical assistance and consulting services provided to healthcare organizations including practice coaching, organizational improvement advising, and PATH technical assistance marketplace.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

California Quality Collaborative delivers practice coaching, consulting, multi-stakeholder alignment, design and evaluation, and convening services to health plans, providers, purchasers, and state agencies in California. Its work is channeled through program initiatives in advanced primary care, behavioral health integration, health equity, hospital safety, maternal health, and aging, supported by clinician-level performance data analytics and the California Data Exchange Framework. CQC also operates paid flagship events, leadership summits, and improvement coaching workshops that train healthcare professionals and align stakeholders across California's delivery system.

Product overview

California Quality Collaborative (CQC) is a healthcare quality improvement program of the Purchaser Business Group on Health, not a unified software product but rather a portfolio of advisory services, technical assistance programs, and convening initiatives. The core service offerings include Practice Coaching, Organizational Improvement Advising, Consulting, Design & Evaluation, Multi-Stakeholder Alignment, and Workforce Development (encompassing Learning & Training, Convening, and Improvement & Learning Collaboratives). These services are delivered through numerous program initiatives including the California Advanced Primary Care Initiative, Behavioral Health Integration Initiative, Health Equity, Hospital Safety, Maternal Health, Aging, Data Capabilities, Payment Model Demonstration Project, CalHIVE Behavioral Health Integration, EQuIP-LA, California Medicare Collaborative, and the California Data Exchange Framework. CQC also hosts flagship events including the Catalyst for Health Forum and BHI Healthcare Leadership Summit, and offers training programs like the CQC Improvement Coaching Workshop. The organization serves 20M+ Californians through aligned health plan and delivery system partners, providing expert coaching, educational opportunities, and peer learning to practices and provider organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Practice Coaching
• Organizational Improvement Advising
• PATH Technical Assistance Marketplace
• Consulting
• Design & Evaluation
• Multi-Stakeholder Alignment
• Learning & Training
• Convening
• Improvement & Learning Collaboratives

Quantifiable outcome

• 25.1% relative improvement in depression screening and follow-up, resulting in 64,000+ additional patients receiving care
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and supporting.

• AetnacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2025Aetna is a core partner in the California Advanced Primary Care Initiative and Payment Model Demonstration Project, co-implementing a shared value-based payment model with Blue Shield of California and Health Net to strengthen primary care delivery across California.
• Blue Shield of CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2025Blue Shield of California partners in the California Advanced Primary Care Initiative, Payment Model Demonstration Project, and EQuIP-LA initiative, working with CQC and IHA to advance value-based care and health equity.
• Health NetcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2025Health Net partners in the California Advanced Primary Care Initiative, Payment Model Demonstration Project, and CalHIVE Behavioral Health Integration, supporting primary care transformation and behavioral health integration across California.
• Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHA co-leads the Payment Model Demonstration Project with CQC, bringing together multiple health plans to test a common value-based payment model with approximately 100 practice locations in California.
• L.A. Care Health PlankeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerL.A. Care partners in the Equity and Quality at Independent Practices in LA County (EQuIP-LA) initiative and Behavioral Health Integration efforts, working with CQC to reduce disparities in care for Medi-Cal enrollees of color.
• California Health Care FoundationkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHCF partners with CQC on initiatives including EQuIP-LA and behavioral health integration, providing funding and strategic guidance to advance healthcare quality and equity in California.
• Covered CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCovered California is a key purchaser partner in the Advanced Primary Care Measurement Pilot, representing over 42% of California's population and working with CQC to drive alignment on performance measures.
• CalPERScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalPERS is a major purchaser partner in the Advanced Primary Care Measurement Pilot, working with CQC to assess and advance primary care delivery across California.
• Purchaser Business Group on Health (PBGH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCQC is a healthcare quality improvement program of PBGH, leveraging the parent organization's infrastructure, relationships, and expertise to advance quality improvement across California.
• Rady Children's HealthkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerRady Children's Health partners with CQC on Behavioral Health Integration, presenting at the 2026 Healthcare Leadership Summit and contributing expertise in pediatric integrated care models.
• Manifest MedExsupportingTechnology or IntegrationManifest MedEx partners with CQC to present on utilizing direct notifications for patient encounters at hospitals to improve coordination of care and reduce unnecessary utilization.
• California Department of Health Care Access and InformationkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerDHAI partners with CQC on healthcare quality initiatives, including participation in the BHI Healthcare Leadership Summit to address statewide healthcare challenges.
• California Department of Health Care ServiceskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerDHCS participates in CQC initiatives including the Behavioral Health Integration Initiative Advisory Group, bringing state government perspective to healthcare improvement efforts.
• Collaborative Family Healthcare AssociationkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFHA partners with CQC to host the Cal-IN Peer Group, quarterly virtual meetings for individuals integrating behavioral health care into primary care settings in California.
• California Health and Human Services AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCQC serves as a key partner for statewide initiatives including the California Health and Human Services Agency's Data Exchange Framework (DxF), providing education and technical assistance for health data exchange.
• Lay Counselor AcademysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCQC sponsored individuals from collaborative participants to complete the Lay Counselor Academy training, expanding behavioral health capacity by equipping care team members with counseling skills.
• Center for Community Health and Evaluation (CCHE)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCHE conducted independent evaluation of the EQuIP-LA initiative, documenting significant quality improvements achieved by participating independent practices.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA): California-based multi-stakeholder organization that co-leads the Payment Model Demonstration Project with CQC across ~100 practice locations. IHA is the closest peer in scope, geography, and constituency (payers, providers, purchasers) and directly competes/collaborates with CQC on shared measurement and value-based payment programs in California.
• Massachusetts Health Quality Partners (MHQP): Massachusetts-based statewide multi-stakeholder QI coalition measuring and reporting clinician performance and convening payers, providers, and purchasers. MHQP is the most structurally similar peer to CQC — a regional, coalition-driven QI organization — making it the cleanest external comparison.
• Minnesota Community Measurement (MNCM): Minnesota-based multi-stakeholder organization producing statewide healthcare quality measures and convening payers, providers, and purchasers. MNCM is directly comparable as a regional QI measurement-and-convening organization with the same payer-provider alignment model as CQC.
• Oregon Health Care Quality Corporation: Oregon-based independent nonprofit driving healthcare quality measurement, transparency, and improvement through multi-stakeholder collaboration. Q Corp is a directly comparable regional peer to CQC in scope and model — community-based QI coalition with payer-provider alignment.

Others

• Purchaser Business Group on Health (PBGH): Parent nonprofit of CQC, providing infrastructure, relationships, and shared staff (e.g., communications, design, events). PBGH is structurally the most related entity but is not a peer in the competitive sense — it is the parent that hosts CQC's operations.
• California Health Care Foundation (CHCF): Major California healthcare funder that supports CQC initiatives including EQuIP-LA and BHI. CHCF is comparable as a California-focused healthcare improvement funder/convener but is primarily a grantmaker rather than a direct service provider, making it an enabling peer rather than a direct competitor.
• Center for Community Health and Evaluation (CCHE): Independent evaluator that conducted the EQuIP-LA impact evaluation for CQC. CCHE is a complementary vendor-evaluator in the same QI ecosystem rather than a competitor, but operates in the same California healthcare-improvement space.

Emerging players

• Collaborative Family Healthcare Association (CFHA): National membership organization advancing integrated behavioral health in primary care, partnering with CQC on the Cal-IN Peer Group. CFHA is directly comparable in the BHI/collaborative-care space but operates nationally with a conference-and-membership model rather than California-specific practice coaching.

Broad incumbents

• National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA): National accreditor and measurement body whose Health Innovation Summit CQC presents at. NCQA is a broader incumbent operating across the entire U.S. with overlapping capabilities in quality measurement and recognition, but does not deliver California-specific practice coaching or convening services.

Regional players

• Health Care Improvement Foundation: Pennsylvania-based independent QI foundation convening hospitals, payers, and providers on safety and quality initiatives. HCIF is comparable as a nonprofit QI convener but is regionally focused on the Philadelphia area rather than California, so it does not directly compete with CQC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/californiaqualitycollaborative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about California Quality Collaborative