February 2021
Article
NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery

Health Care Measurements That Improve Patient Outcomes

By: Robert S. Kaplan, Lara Jehi, Clifford Y. Ko, Andrea Pusic and Mary Witkowski

Format:Electronic

Abstract

This article describes the challenges and solutions in determining whether a patient’s treatment has been successful. Such an assessment depends on multiple factors, including the patient’s pretreatment status; the qualifications of personnel performing the treatment; the treating facility’s infrastructure and culture; the use of evidence-based clinical processes; the baseline incidence of treatment complications; and, most challenging, the ability to measure the outcomes that matter to patients. Recent advances in IT and the development of validated measurement instruments now enable consistent collection and analysis of metrics that capture all the relevant dimensions of a patient’s treatment. These data can be mobilized for learning that improves clinical and administrative processes, optimization of care pathways, shared decision-making, accountability, and payment contracting. Providers can now have access to the tools and technology that allow them to be transparent about and accountable for the outcomes that their patients experience.

Keywords

Outcomes Measurement; Health Care and Treatment; Outcome or Result; Measurement and Metrics

Citation

Kaplan, Robert S., Lara Jehi, Clifford Y. Ko, Andrea Pusic, and Mary Witkowski. "Health Care Measurements That Improve Patient Outcomes." NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery 2, no. 2 (February 2021).