Public AffairsHealth PolicyHealth Services AdministrationHealth Care Quality ManagementHealth Services ResearchHealthcare Quality ImprovementHealth Care Performance MeasurementHealth Care QualityHealthcare StandardsQuality MeasurementQuality Of CareStandard Of CareHealth Care Quality MeasurementHealth Service Quality AssessmentProfessional Standard Of CareProfessional Standards Of CareQuality Of Care AssessmentQuality Of Care EvaluationQuality Of Care MetricsStandards Organizations
The need to safeguard and enhance medical care quality has prompted constant review mechanisms to detect and correct deficiencies. This article classifies major approaches to assessing medical care processes and outcomes. It reviews federal involvement via sponsorship of professional standards review organizations (PSROs), describing their key features and potential effects. It remains uncertain how PSROs will perform, but failure to meet objectives could trigger pressure for more radical solutions.
This article classifies the major approaches to the assessment of the process and outcomes of medical care. The apparent need to safeguard and enhance the quality of care has led to the institution of mechanisms that subject care to constant review so that deficiencies may be found and corrected. The article reviews the developments that led to the involvement of the federal government in this activity through its sponsorship of professional standards review organizations (PSRO's). The major features of the PSRO's are described and their possible effects discussed. It is too early to say how the PSRO's will fare, but should they fail to accomplish their objectives the pressure for more radical solutions will be difficult to resist.
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Measuring the Quality of Medical Care
David D. Rutstein, William Berenberg, Thomas C. Chalmers et al. · New England Journal of Medicine · 1976 · 1K citations