#TBT: What Are Quality Measures, and Why Are They Important?
As part of our Throwback Thursday blog series, we’re taking a look at a topic that’s currently in the news and tagging it with previous research, videos or commentaries in a relevant way. As the saying goes, “what’s old is new again” – and we hope you enjoy our wonky twist on #TBT.
There’s a lot of buzz about health care quality measures, but what are they and why are they important?
As part of our Throwback Thursday blog series, we’re taking a look at a topic that’s currently in the news and tagging it with previous research, videos or commentaries in a relevant way. As the saying goes, “what’s old is new again” – and we hope you enjoy our wonky twist on #TBT.
There’s a lot of buzz about health care quality measures, but what are they and why are they important?
Quality measures quantify health care processes, outcomes, patient perceptions and systems associated with high-quality health care (e.g., effective, safe, efficient, patient-centered, equitable, timely care). They can help payers to reward better care, providers to take action to improve care, and patients to make informed decisions about where to seek care.
The National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) asked health care leaders to share their thoughts on the importance of quality measures, their impact on patient care, and challenges that need to be addressed. In this brief video (and our #TBT pick of the week), health experts from HealthHIV, the National Patient Advocate Foundation, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the Alliance for Aging Research, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations offered their perspectives on the topic.
To help health care decision-makers (i.e., pharmacists, industry leaders, researchers, other quality measurement stakeholders) learn more about quality measurement, NPC, in partnership with the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, is offering a new educational course.
The online continuing education series, “Healthcare Quality: Measurement and Implications,” provides a comprehensive overview of the health care quality landscape, including national priorities, and measure development, endorsement and implementation.
Registrants will learn:
- How to become knowledgeable contributors to the ever-growing conversation on the shift from volume-based to value-based health care;
- What is being measured, and how and why it matters; and
- Which stakeholders are involved, and what their roles are in the health care quality improvement cycle.
The course includes two interactive modules, “Healthcare Quality in the United States,” and “Quality Measurement in the Pharmaceutical Industry.” These modules represent 3.5 hours of Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) approved continuing education, and are available anytime and anywhere through an online portal.
To learn more about quality measurement, view NPC resources from our conference, Mind the Gap: Improving Quality Measurement in Accountable Care Systems, and read our white paper, “Accountable Care Measures for High-Cost Specialty Care and Innovative Treatment.”