Posted: January 28th, 2022

Quality in other areas of our lives can be subjective, so as it relates to our nursing practice, how do we specifically ensure that quality is clearly defined and measurable?

Quality in other areas of our lives can be subjective, so as it relates to our nursing practice, how do we specifically ensure that quality is clearly defined and measurable?

Tools for measuring quality are used to assess the value measured, collected, or compared. These tools allow for subjectivity to be replaced with objectivity through data, formula, ranking, and analysis.

For this Assignment, you will explore at least three rate-based measures of quality. You will deconstruct each measure to explore your understanding of the it, including its importance and its impact on patient safety, the cost of healthcare, and the overall quality of healthcare.

The Assignment: (8–10 pages)
Describe the three rate-based measures of quality you selected, and explain why.
Deconstruct each measure to include the following:
Describe the definition of the measure.
Explain the numerical description of how the measure is constructed (the numerator/denominator measure counts, the formula used to construct the rate, etc.).
Explain how the data for this measure are collected.
Describe how the measurement is compared externally to other like settings, and differentiate between the actual rate and a percentile ranking. Be specific.
Explain whether the measure is risk adjusted or not. If so, explain briefly how this is accomplished.
Describe how goals might be set for each measure in an aggressive organization, which is seeking to excel in the marketplace. Be specific and provide examples.
Describe the importance of each measure to a chosen clinical organization and setting.
Using the websites and resources you can choose a hospital, a nursing home, a home health agency, a dialysis center, a health plan, an outpatient clinic, or private office. A total population of patient types is also acceptable, but please be specific as to the setting. That is, if you are interested in patients with chronic illness across the continuum of care, you might home in a particular health plan, a multispecialty practice setting or a healthcare organization with both inpatient and outpatient/clinic settings.
Note: Faculty appointments and academic settings are not permitted for this exercise. For all other settings, consult the Instructor for guidance. You do not need actual data from a given organization to complete this Assignment.
Explain how each measure you selected relates to patient safety, to the cost of poor quality, and to the overall cost of healthcare delivery. Be specific and provide examples.

in other areas of our lives might be subjective, so how do we particularly ensure that quality in our nursing practice is clearly defined and measurable?

To assess the value measured, gathered, or compared, tools for measuring quality are utilized. Through data, calculation, ranking, and analysis, these tools allow subjectivity to be substituted with objectivity.

You will investigate at least three rate-based quality indicators for this assignment. You’ll examine each metric to gain a better knowledge of it, including its importance and impact on patient safety, healthcare costs, and overall quality of treatment.

The Task (eight to ten pages)
Describe the three rate-based quality measures you chose and why you chose them.
Break down each measure into the following components:
Describe the measure’s definition.
Explain the numerical explanation of how the measure is created (numerator/denominator counts, rate formula, etc.).
Describe how this measure’s data is gathered.
Describe how the measurement is compared to similar measurements in the outside world, and distinguish between the real rate and a percentile rating. Be as precise as possible.
Explain whether or not the metric is risk-adjusted. If that’s the case, describe how it’s done in a few words.
Describe how an ambitious organization striving to excel in the marketplace might set goals for each measure. Give instances and be specific.
Explain the significance of each measure in the context of a specific clinical organization and setting.
You can choose a hospital, a nursing home, a home health agency, a dialysis facility, a health plan, an outpatient clinic, or a private office using the websites and resources. It’s also fine to have a whole population of patient categories, but please be precise about the context. That instance, if you are interested in chronic illness patients across the continuum of care, you may want to look into a specific health plan, a multispecialty practice setting, or a healthcare organization that offers both inpatient and outpatient/clinic care.
This exercise does not allow for faculty appointments or academic contexts. For all other settings, get advice from the Instructor. This Assignment does not need you to use actual data from a specific company.
Explain how each of the metrics you choose relates to patient safety, the cost of poor quality, and the overall cost of healthcare. Give instances and be specific.