Outcomes Measurement

Outcomes Measurement assesses the physiologic results of a care process or the experiences of the patient regarding change in function.

Trump/Musk killed AHRQ, but in a sense, the death has been playing out over 25 years. Recalling 4 eras of the agency and my dream for its eventual rebirth.

Clinical Practice Guidelines and Protocols, Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA), Outcomes Measurement /

Slashing and Dissolving As reported by the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Health News site blog, last week the Trump administration “dissolved” the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the agency that has for decades been at the center of the US Federal Government’s support for health services research in the service of improvement of our

Trump/Musk killed AHRQ, but in a sense, the death has been playing out over 25 years. Recalling 4 eras of the agency and my dream for its eventual rebirth. Read More »

Picture of studying for a test

Physicians want fewer quality measures, but more might be better if it motivates core process improvement rather than “studying for the test”

3 Comments / ACO Provider Performance Analysis, Outcomes Measurement, Quality Measurement /

A JAMA study reports that PCPs are contractually held accountable for 57 unique quality metrics and asserts that is “oversaturation.” I have disagreed with the premise that we need fewer measures. On the contrary, I believe that we actually need a lot more measures to finally convince health care provider organizations to stop trying to “study for the test” and to actually learn the subject and improve the core processes that drive health care quality.

Physicians want fewer quality measures, but more might be better if it motivates core process improvement rather than “studying for the test” Read More »

The Smoking Intervention Program, a Provider-based Care Management Process

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA), Decision Analysis, Outcomes Measurement, Provider-based Care Management, Satisfaction Measurement /

Smoking cessation is an important public health concern, and has been the subject of a recent Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) guideline, as well as a HEDIS measure.   A point prevalence study conducted with the Henry Ford Health System found a 27.4% prevalence of smoking, and an additional 38.6% former smokers. The

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Improving Total Hip Replacement Surgery

Clinical Practice Guidelines and Protocols, Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), Efficiency Measurement, Outcomes Measurement /

Background Joint replacement is a costly and frequently performed inpatient procedure.  In 1995, Henry Ford Hospital carried out 280 total hip replacements and 225 total knee replacements.  To decrease unnecessary inpatient utilization and enhance functional outcomes of joint replacement surgery, Henry Ford Hospital established a multi-disciplinary improvement team, including representatives from Orthopedic Surgery, Physical Therapy,

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