Managing outcomes: the perspective of the players

Outcomes management is most deeply rooted in clinical issues that interrelate concerns about quality with cost effectiveness of care. This is ground-breaking activity from many perspectives. Researchers must work more closely with clinicians and decision makers than ever before. Hospital executives must contend with many new external data demands and determine how to operationalize outcomes management programs within their institutions. There are new roles for clinician executives who act as change agents within health care organizations, while data on outcomes of care can lead to increased bargaining power among purchasers of services. In this article we discuss the major implications this new focus on managing outcomes is having on researchers, hospital executives, clinicians, and the purchasers of health care services.