Why a quality initiative?

The end results of health care are difficult to compare, because no two patients are the same. For example, one heart attack patient may have no other pre-existing conditions, while another may also suffer from diabetes, lung disease and congestive heart failure - all of which lower the chance that the second patient will do as well as the first, despite the best efforts of the hospitals involved.

Therefore, organizations such as Medicare and the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations have determined that more accurate data is gathered if they examine hospitals' processes - the ways they provide care - rather than the end results of that care.

These process measures examine health-care methods that have been shown to be effective. One example is giving aspirin to a heart attack patient, a process shown to reduce the damage done to heart muscle during the attack. The philosophy behind the measurement system is that if great processes are used, improved outcomes will follow.
By showing the public information about the processes a hospital uses, health-care organizations are helping teach patients about the types of care they should expect to receive. Patients can learn about the questions they should ask about their individual care, such as:

• What are the benefits and risks of taking aspirin?
• What is an ACE inhibitor? What is a beta blocker? Should those be included in my medications?
• How does my smoking affect the health of my heart?
• What do I need to know before I leave the hospital?
• Am I being given the right kind of antibiotic for my type of pneumonia? How soon should I receive it?
• Should I be vaccinated against pneumonia?

Improving patient education has the benefit of improving a patient's willingness to correctly follow a medical treatment plan. That, in turn, improves a patient's end results.