Background For Discussion Post:
Over the last 10 years, several advances and initiatives were made to improve the quality and value of health care in the United States; however the biggest agent for change was the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The goal of this act is to increase the value of health care by improving quality and controlling costs. Accountability can be realized through physician profiling, which is aimed at improving physician performance. However, profiling is not always implemented or used properly in health care organizations because what to measure to most accurately profile has not been identified uniformly. Improving patient experiences results in better clinical outcomes, fewer errors, and increased market share. Building a patient-centered culture improves employee satisfaction because training and support are now priorities. Improving patient experiences of care may be key in transforming our current health care systems into one in which all would want to participate.
This week, you will analyze quality-improvement assessments as well as physician quality practice data. In addition, your recommended strategies to improve physician rankings will be shared.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Analyze quality improvement assessments
- Analyze physician quality clinical practice data
- Recommend strategies to improve physician rankingsDiscussion Topic: Physician Profiling and Health Care Quality Outcomes
Physician profiling is a collection of provider-specific and practice-level data used to analyze physician practice patterns, utilization of services, and outcomes of care. Physician report cards (which may be a component of a physician profile) compare physicians on outcomes related to measures such as quality, patient satisfaction, and cost-utilization patterns.
In this Discussion, you will identify three strategies for improving physician quality practice ranking on physician profiling and quality report cards. Be sure to justify your recommendations.
To prepare:
Review the Learning Resources as they relate to quality-improvement assessment and health care quality outcomes
Note: For this Discussion you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleague's postings. Begin by clicking on the "Post to Discussion" link and then select "Create Thread" to complete your initial post. Remember, once you click submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking Submit!
Post a cohesive response to the following:
Post an analysis of physician quality practice data. Then, recommend three strategies for improving physician quality practice rankings on physician profiling and quality report cards. Justify your recommendations with references to your Learning Resources or other academic resources.
Support your response by identifying and explaining key points and/or examples presented in the Learning Resources.
Read a selection of your colleagues' postings. Consider how your colleagues' postings relate to the information presented in the Learning Resources and to your own posting.