RN expert provides an overview on healthcare quality measurement

Students at Louisiana State University today heard an executive with Baton Rouge-based Amedisys talk about how quality is measured in health care and why it should matter to all Americans. Amedisys is the largest home health care and hospice company in the U.S., providing care to more than 35,000 patients every day.

In a speech titled, "Measuring Quality in Health Care," Tasha Mears, RN, BSN, Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations with Amedisys, provided an overview of how quality is defined in this country, the different governmental and non-governmental bodies that measure and guide quality in portions of health care, and the methods being used to measure it.

Mears discussed how the rapidly aging baby boomer population will test the delivery of services and require that health care be measured not only in hospitals, but also in nursing homes, other care facilities and in people's homes, where studies have found older Americans prefer to receive care.

"As more and more aging Americans begin to receive expert medical care in their homes, it is essential that we have performance improvement measures in place to ensure that patients receive the best and most appropriate care for their conditions," said Mears.

Mears relayed several compelling statistics to highlight the coming swell of people needing health care services and the costs associated with that care:

• In 2009, over one in every eight, or 12.8 percent of the population was an older American (65+). By 2030, one in every five, or 20 percent of the population, will be an older American. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006)
• In 2007, 80 percent of older adults had at least one chronic condition and two-thirds of all health care costs are spent on chronic disease management. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The Merck Company Foundation: The State of Aging and Health in America Report, 2007)
• The cost of providing health care for one person aged 65 or older is three to five times greater than the cost for someone younger than 65. (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005)
• By 2030, health care spending will increase by 25 percent, largely because the population will be older. (Ibid)

Amedisys is currently working with several universities to study and measure the quality of home health care and also is a leader in providing a number of chronic care management programs to ensure quality patient care while controlling costs. Programs include those for wound care, cardiac, diabetes, rehabilitation, pain management, behavioral health, COPD, stroke, chronic kidney disease, orthopedics and surgical recovery.

In conclusion, Mears offered the outstanding needs and questions that the industry must address in order to be well-prepared for the aging population. They include: the need for increased consumer knowledge of quality measures; understanding that quality measures may impact payment reform; the need for consistency across measures; and the need for increased research in post acute settings.