Profession
How useful are quality data?
■ An occasional snapshot of current facts and trends in medicine.
Quick View. Posted May 8, 2006
A recent survey says many executives don't use this kind of information.
Source of data | Use source | Highly useful | Not useful |
---|---|---|---|
Health plans | 68% | 34% | 10% |
Recommendations from others | 54% | 23% | 12% |
Hospital and physician groups | 52% | 15% | 16% |
Health-care associations | 50% | 15% | 13% |
Business coalition groups | 42% | 8% | 17% |
Government | 37% | 4% | 13% |
With health care costs rising at a rapid clip, large employers are clamoring for quality data to help them determine the bang they're getting for their buck. Yet, according to a recent survey of 135 top executives at U.S.-based multinational corporations, more than three-fifths of large employers -- 61% -- don't use the sometimes controversial quality measurement data already available from the government, health plans, physician and hospital groups, and others. Responses here are from the 39% of executives who do access quality data from one or more sources, showing which sources they use most and least. In addition, for each data source, the percentage at either end of the satisfaction spectrum -- those who evaluate each source as either highly useful or not useful -- is shown.
Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute, April 10 survey