Quality healthcare is about much more than simply identifying and treating illnesses as they appear. High-quality healthcare relies on a thorough and holistic understanding of each individual patient’s unique needs to know how to best promote their long-term health and wellness. While many aspects of good health can’t always be measured directly, quality metrics help physicians and collaborative teams more accurately assess where a patient might need extra support or education to live their fullest, healthiest life.

 

Healthcare Quality Metrics

Healthcare organizations use a variety of metrics to evaluate how effectively care is delivered. Common examples include number of patient visits, how quickly chronic disease is identified, or even self-reported customer satisfaction. However, most quality metrics fall into three distinct categories. Structural metrics look at individual physicians’ or systems’ capacity to deliver care using measures such as physician case load or electronic health records. Process metrics evaluate the care delivery itself, such as focusing on the percentage of patients receiving preventative care or screenings, to better understand care procedures from detection to treatment. Outcome metrics measure the tangible results of care delivery, such as assessing surgical mortality rates or repeat hospitalizations.

 

Why Metrics Matter

Data-driven decisions regarding patient care delivery are proven to lead to better chronic disease management, fewer hospitalizations, and better quality of life in the long term. By tracking quality metrics and using that data to inform patient care decisions, physicians are able to better identify opportunities to enhance care delivery and fill potential care gaps that may be impacting patient outcomes. For example, a physician may track the number of diabetes patients who have not received a recent A1C test in order to arrange outreach with those patients prior to their next appointment. This in turn can lead to more comprehensive and coordinated management of the disease moving forward.

 

Greater Michigan Physician Network (GMPN) is committed to helping its partner physicians harness the power of data and quality metrics to improve patient outcomes and streamline care delivery. From connecting healthcare teams with continuing education opportunities to granting access to advanced data technologies like the Arcadia Analytics Population Health Tool, partnering with GMPN gives physicians the resources they need to help patients live longer, healthier lives.