Guest Post: Clinical Quality: Data is the Key to Survival

by Stephen L. Moore, MD

As the healthcare industry prepares for a system that rewards value through high quality and efficiency of care, the emphasis on patient safety as a principal priority has become more important than ever, reflected clearly in the responses across the board to the 2012 Clinical Quality and Patient Safety Survey, a free report from HealthLeaders Media.

The survey demonstrates that 80% of senior-level leaders believe their institutions boast “strong” or “very strong” clinical quality outcomes. And that same percentage felt the current status of patient safety and harm-prevention efforts at their organizations were either “very strong” or “strong.” While the vast majority of respondents appeared comfortable with their current efforts as well as their experience with clinical quality metrics, there was less unanimity in a response to a question about whether value-based purchasing would improve clinical quality. Forty-one percent answered “don’t know,” another 19% said “no,” and just 40% responded in the affirmative.

With the advent of health reform and the focus on accountable care, hospitals and health systems must designate patient safety and quality care as a top strategic priority. We’re not perfect, and we may never be. But the admirable goal of “perfect care”—53% of respondents said their organization has a formal statement declaring that its objective is to reduce avoidable harm to zero—must be at the top of the mind of all who work in healthcare, from the executive suite to the bedside and everywhere in between.

Editor’s Note: Dr. Moore, at the time of this article's original release, was Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Catholic Health Initiatives, Englewood, Colo., and was the Lead Advisor for the HealthLeaders Media Intelligence Report