Concept and measurement of pediatric value

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Health Economics
• Pediatric Health Outcomes

Background:

• The evolving health care marketplace necessitates informed decision-making by families regarding health plans, providers, and accountable care organizations.
• Effective decision-making hinges on understanding health care value, defined as the relationship between patient/family-centered outcomes and the costs of achieving them.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the need for pediatric-specific health care value information for families.
• To outline requirements for data collection and analysis to support family decision-making in pediatric care.

Main Methods:

• Proposes new investments in data collection systems for pediatric health care.
• Emphasizes the inclusion of outcomes important to children and families.
• Advocates for cost measurement at the individual child level.
• Recommends direct standardization for analyzing data from a user's perspective, specifically for families.

Main Results:

• Current systems may not adequately capture pediatric-specific outcomes and costs relevant to families.
• Direct standardization is identified as a suitable method for comparing health care systems based on family and child characteristics.

Conclusions:

• Developing and disseminating pediatric health care value information is crucial for empowering families.
• Investments in data infrastructure and analytical methods are necessary to provide meaningful value assessments for pediatric care.