The registry imperative
Like it or not - agree or disagree - the federal government and other payers, ostensibly to promote high-quality patient care, will demand that individual anesthesiologists or groups of anesthesiologists in the United States document their performance metrics and outcomes against benchmark data. They will use reimbursement to prod anesthesiologists to develop the benchmark data and to carefully assess and improve their practices. All physicians involved in maintenance of certification from member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties, including the American Board of Anesthesiology, will require similar information Thus, strong and validated anesthesia process and outcome databases, such as the Anesthesia Quality Institute database, will become a necessity for future practice. It is an imperative that hopefully will improve patient safety and the quality of care that we provide. © 2009, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Inc.