Performance measures: are we measuring what matters?

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Quality Improvement
• Public Health

Background:

• Healthcare performance measures are designed to enhance health status through quality improvements.
• This study examines the alignment of current performance measurement sets with leading causes of U.S. morbidity and mortality.
• The Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) is used as a case study.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the extent to which existing healthcare performance measures address the primary drivers of illness and death in the U.S.
• To identify gaps in current measurement sets concerning major health concerns.
• To inform strategies for improving healthcare quality and outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Assessed the presence of HEDIS measures corresponding to leading causes of illness and death.
• Utilized five key indices to define leading causes: physiologic cause of death, underlying cause of death, disability-adjusted life years, healthcare expenditures, and missed work days.

Main Results:

• Less than 50% of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality are currently covered by performance measures.
• Significant gaps exist in performance measurement for major health issues.

Conclusions:

• Substantial opportunities for leveraging performance measurement in disease prevention and health promotion are currently underutilized.
• Further expansion of performance measurement efforts is necessary to realize the full potential for improving population health.
• Meaningful measurement is key to advancing prevention and promotion initiatives.