Quality Measures

While the healthcare system continues to shift towards more emphasis on quality metrics, there remains a substantial gap between the expectations of healthcare policies and standards of hospital administrations vs. the realistic care provided by the average healthcare provider. This book offers the perspective of the healthcare provider and aims to fulfill the unmet need to educate other healthcare providers on recognizing quality measures and understanding how to achieve them to meet standards of quality care. This book covers the historical perspective of quality measures, the context of their existence, their utility, and the contemporary issues related to their use. Simultaneously, it critically addresses the quality of these quality metrics and presents the evidence available to date on the efficacy and the limitations of these quality measures. This text is all-inclusive and is organized into chapters that include the evolution of quality metrics in healthcare, the practical role of hospitals, as well as the practical role of individual healthcare providers in addressing quality metrics. The chapters also include assessment of quality metrics that uniquely pertain to medical and surgical practices, as well as non-clinical quality metrics that specifically target undergraduate and graduate medical training. Finally, the book reflects on the use of contemporary quality metrics and their impact on outcomes, patient care, and public health and policy making. In these chapters, tables and illustrations, including algorithms, will be used to provide systematic approaches to common issues related to quality metrics. In addition, historical anecdotes and case presentations will be used to address pearls in contemporary practice of quality metrics. Quality Measures is the definitive reference on quality metrics in healthcare and is a valuable resource for healthcare providers, trainees, administrators and public health agencies.