Measuring Processes and Outcomes of Care

Abstract

Measuring healthcare processes and the outcomes of care is surprisingly a new idea, and a chasm exists regarding the perceived need for clinical measurement between health policy experts and government planners on the one hand and the providers of care on the other. This might be considered the “second quality chasm”. The train full of researchers, planners, and payers is miles down the tracks, while the train for the physicians who provide the care is just being loaded. In fact, many physicians aren’t convinced that this is a train they want to ride on. As an example, Medicare has developed the Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) to encourage physicians to begin reporting important quality indicators, but few are participating. Doing so not only requires time and resources, but it is not part of physicians’ training or self-expectations.