Care that Matters: Quality Measurement and Health Care

Abstract

Everyone aspires to quality health care. Defining "quality" seems straightforward, yet finding metrics to measure health care is difficult, a point recognized by Donabedian [1] almost half a century ago. While we often associate quality with price, Americans have the world's most expensive health care system, yet have disappointing patient outcomes [2]. As a means to improve outcomes and control costs, payers in the United States, United Kingdom, and elsewhere are increasingly using metrics to rate providers and health care organizations as well as to structure payment.