DISCuss 1 and 2

Consider the following scenario: Alice had two options to visit a cardiologist. She could go to Mount Hebron Clinic (about 1 mile away from her home) or she could visit Mount Assad Hospital (about 1 mile from work). She decided to look at some hospital reviews to compare what other patients thought of the services. Alice decided to do more careful research and compare the performance measures of each hospital by using the Hospital Compare website. She was particularly impressed by the zero failure in the use and entry of medication orders reported for Mount Hebron. Mount Hebron' s patient mortality rate by heart condition was also lower than Mount Assad's by 12%. Based on the overall rating of each hospital she decided to visit Mount Hebron Clinic.

For any business to evaluate and improve its performance, it must have clear, measurable outcomes to use for assessment (Spath, 2018). Similarly, in order to effectively compare the performances of organizations performing the same service within an industry, the same outcomes must be used for assessment. These are often called performance measures and these performance measures provide a way to compare different companies against one another when they are working toward the same goals. In healthcare, assessments are particularly important for both the individual patient (consumer) and the (provider).

How can technology improve quality and patient safety? What are the key challenges in developing methods for measuring and evaluating performance for healthcare? This week you will assess how technology can improve the healthcare quality and/or patient safety. You will also distinguish between structural, process, and outcome measures for evaluating performance. Finally, you will identify key terms and concepts relating to quality and safety assessments.

Reference Spath, P. L. (2018). Introduction to healthcare quality management (3rd ed.). Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press.

Discussion: Quality and Safety Management

In order to evaluate the current state of healthcare and make effective and important improvements in patient quality and safety, it is critical to identify meaningful performance measures. It is important that these performance measures be applied in the same way in similar healthcare organizations, wherever they are. As noted in your course text, there are three types of performance measures used to evaluate healthcare: structure, process, and outcome. 

Structural measures give consumers a sense of a healthcare provider's capacity, systems, and processes to provide high-quality care. Structural measures are features that evaluate a healthcare organization or clinician relevant to its capacity to provide healthcare (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, 2018).  An example of a structural measure is a medication order entry system. Process measures indicate what a provider does to maintain or improve health. An example of a process measure is the percentage of patients receiving preventive services. Outcome measures reflect the impact of the health care service or intervention on the health status of patients. An example of an outcome measure is hospital-acquired infections.

In this Discussion, you will identify structure, process, or outcome measures for a healthcare quality and safety issue. You will also examine quality and safety actions that can be implemented within a healthcare setting.

References

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid. (2018, February). Measures management systems. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services | Measure management & you. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/MMS/Downloads/Structural-Measures.pdf

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review the Learning Resources, specifically Chapters 3 and 4 in your textbook, Introduction to Healthcare Quality Management.

• Select a healthcare quality and safety issue of your choice (or one you may have experienced).

• Consider the structure, process, and outcome measures for the healthcare quality and safety issue you have selected.

By Day 4

Post a comprehensive explanation of the following:

• Identify at least one structure, process, and outcome measure for the healthcare quality and safety issue that you have selected.

• Provide an explanation for how you might have experienced at least one of these measures in practice.

• Explain how patients measure quality differently from healthcare professionals. Provide an example. 

Required Links:

https://search-proquest-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/docview/2132190227?accountid=14872

https://aimseducation.edu/blog/the-impact-of-technology-on-healthcare

https://getreferralmd.com/2018/01/future-healthcare-technology-advancements/

https://patientengagementhit.com/news/do-patient-satisfaction-scores-truly-portray-quality-care

http://www.ihi.org/communities/blogs/the-future-of-measuring-patient-safety