How Is Quality Measured in the Health Care System?

Health care is provided on a continual basis around the globe by a variety of health care organizations and systems. A critical aspect of any health care delivery system is to ensure that quality care is provided each time a provider and patient contact occurs. Health care systems measure quality using a variety of metrics, ranging from safety measures to patient feedback.

Safety

• Safety is important in health care.

  An essential element of quality health care is to ensure the safety of providers and patients. According to the Common Wealth Fund, a program at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs involves the specific management of the teams, referred to as crew resource management, or CRM. The team anticipates the occurrence of human error and either takes efforts to avoid the mistakes or attempts to minimize any consequences. Benefits include increased compliance with specific treatments and improved teamwork which support safety and quality.

Consumer-defined Care

• Patient involvement in decisions is one quality measurement in health care.

  The American Health Care Association advocates that a health care consumer should be involved in the planning and delivery of his care. This supports the quality of the consumer's care, including the patient who requires long-term care. The health care system must also be aware of several key items including what the patient wants, what the patient expects and what the patient needs. This in turn leads to greater patient satisfaction, improved outcomes and improvements in overall quality.

Clinical Performance Measures

• Performance measures are informative.

  The ability to assess, measure and track a provider's performance supports the promotion of health care quality. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality informs consumers on how well the health care system prevents and treats illnesses. The Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set, or HEDIS, rates the quality of health plans on specific conditions, such as diabetes management. Such quality efforts are based on health care practices that have positive patient outcomes.

Joint Commission and Accreditation

• Health care accreditation is the process in which a health care organization or system is confirmed or verified by an independent entity to have the required or necessary tools in place to support the optimal delivery of care in a safe manner. The Joint Commission, an independent, non-profit organization that is a leader in health care accreditation, supports a variety of health care organizations to achieve quality and excellence in service delivery. The Joint Commission offers a variety of accreditation services including a focus on specific service lines such as orthopedics and stroke care.

Clinical Expertise

• Clinical expertise reflects on quality.

  The National Committee for Quality Assurance has a Web-based tool that allows consumers to locate doctors who specialize in specific clinical areas. Such tools allow the consumer to research if a physician has expertise on specific topics, such as back pain. The ability to conduct this research based on the provider's specialty is reassuring to consumers who seek a quality and experienced provider.