Analyzing in-hospital mortality and morbidity with adjustment for admission severity

Recognition of the need for measuring quality has increasingly permeated the thinking of leaders in industry. Until relatively recently, however, measuring health care quality was a novel concept. For many reasons a variety of constituencies have begun to see the need for information about the quality of health care. Here, we describe a particular model for quality measurement in the inpatient setting and present an approach for preliminary screening of data to identify potential areas for effectiveness review. For purchasers of health care, this type of information would be helpful as a first screen for identifying areas for more in-depth review by hospitals. Some caveats relating to the approach are also discussed.