Measuring outcomes in primary care practice

Systematic attention to outcomes is becoming a requirement of primary care practice. Outcomes of interest include improvement in health (medical outcomes), patient satisfaction with the health care experience (service outcomes), and curtailing of expenditures (cost outcomes). Primary care providers who monitor outcomes in their practice have many advantages: They have the opportunity to evaluate themselves before others evaluate them; they may alter or improve their system of care; and they can provide data on their effectiveness. This article discusses how primary care providers can measure outcomes at the practice level and the inherent values in this practice.