Applications for risk-adjusted outcome measures

This paper reports on the development and application of multiple risk-adjusted measures of hospital performance (mortality, readmission, complications). The indices are based on patient-level data so they can be aggregated at any level (hospital, specialty, physician), are easy to use and interpret by hospitals, and provide an inexpensive method for evaluating hospital performance using existing databases. This paper focuses on the development of practical applications of these measures in the quality improvement process.