Understanding Health Care Quality
Research has shown that science-based measures can be used to
assess quality for various conditions and for specific types of care. For example, quality health care is:
- Doing the right thing (getting the health care services you need).
- At the right time (when you need them).
- In the right way (using the appropriate test or procedure).
- To achieve the best possible results.
Providing quality health care also means striking the right balance of
services by:
- Avoiding underuse (for example, not screening a person for high blood pressure).
- Avoiding overuse (for example, performing tests that a patient doesn't need).
- Eliminating misuse (for example, providing medications that may have dangerous interactions).
We would like to think that every doctor, nurse, pharmacist, hospital,
and other provider gives high-quality care, but we know this is not
always the case. Quality varies depending on where you live. Quality
can vary from one State to another, and it can vary from one doctor's
office across the street to another. Health care quality varies widely
and for many reasons.
For example, timely receipt of clot-busting drugs can save lives for
patients suffering heart attacks. The national standard for providing
clot-busting drugs is within 30 minutes of a patient's arrival at the
hospital. But we know that this varies widely across States, from a
low of 20 minutes in one State to a high of 140 minutes in another.
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