Illuminating High-Quality Healthcare: How to define it and why it matters

What Does High-Quality Really Mean?

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In the ever-evolving healthcare landscape, "high-quality" is a term we often hear. Is it just another buzzword, or does it mean something substantive? The World Health Organization defines healthcare quality as "the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes." Quality can be challenging to measure, so focusing on objective and reliable metrics is essential. Examples include harmful events that be be more easily tracked and act as indicators of poor-quality care like:

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• Mortality rates

• Adverse events

• Prolonged hospital stays

• Infections acquired at the hospital

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Breaking Down High-Quality Healthcare

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High-quality care includes an emphasis on safety and achieving desired health outcomes, all while being efficient and effective in the care provided, aimed at: 

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• Achieving The Desired Health Outcomes: positive results for patients, such as managing chronic conditions, curing illnesses, or enhancing overall well-being.

• Ensuring Patient Safety: Minimizing errors, mitigating the risk of complications, and reducing variation in care by adopting best practices.

• Operating Efficiently & Effectively: Using resources effectively to maximize patient benefits, and ensuring patients receive the appropriate care for their condition.

• Enabling Shared Decision Making: Engaging patients to be active and informed participants during their healthcare journey in partnership with their providers.

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Why it Matters: The Cost of Low-Quality Care

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‍Low-quality healthcare significantly affects individual patients' wellbeing and the industry as a whole. When care standards aren't met, patients often face life threatening complications, longer recovery times, and frequent hospital readmissions. While some of these adverse events are treatable they often result in a diminished quality of life, permanent damage, and unnecessary suffering for everyone involved, including the patient’s family and caregivers. These defects in care are also costly, with poor quality care resulting in an estimated $1.3 trillion in wasted spend each year nationally. ( Pronovost et. al., 2021 ) This economic burden is passed on to patients through higher insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. However, if patients have access to and seek high-quality care the potential savings, both in quality of life and financially, are substantial.

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Illuminating Quality Healthcare for Patients

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We can all agree that quality should be a critical part of the care decision-making process.  Faros Health ENLIGHT provides transparency into provider quality, cost of care, and patient experience, guiding patients toward effective, safe, and patient-centered care. This allows individuals to navigate the healthcare landscape with confidence, ensuring they receive the high-quality care they deserve.

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