March 30, 2001
IOM Proposes Framework for Annual Health Care Quality Report
In a new publication "Envisioning the National Health Care Quality Report," the Institute of Medicine (IOM) presents a framework for the National Health Care Quality Report - the annual health care "quality barometer" initially proposed by Congress in 1999.
The IOM's report was requested by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the group responsible for developing and coordinating the annual Quality Report. The new report follows a recent IOM study that detailed the current health care system's inefficiencies, inequities, and potential for medical errors ("Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century").
In its proposal, the IOM recommends that the Quality Report evaluate core quality components (eg, safety and effectiveness), as well as issues related to equity and specific consumer needs such as preventative or end-of-life care. The IOM advises the creation of a diverse, independent advisory group to identify, add, or replace critical quality measures over time. In the short-term, the IOM recommends that the Quality Report draw from existing public and private data sources. Over the long-term, they advise AHRQ to encourage the development of a comprehensive health information infrastructure that would include standardized, electronic clinical data systems. Finally, the IOM's report recommends that AHRQ publish different versions of the Quality Report to meet the distinct needs of key audiences, including policy makers, consumers, clinicians, and purchasers.
Information: Christiane Mitchell, AAMC Office of Governmental Relations, 202-828-0526.
