They use measures to check up on and improve the quality of care they provide. But there is some quality information you can use right now to help you compare your health care choices. And more and more is becoming available all the time. Many public and private groups are working to improve and expand health care quality measures. The goal is to make these measures more reliable, uniform, and helpful to consumers in making health care choices.
Outcomes research measures the end results of health care practices and treatments.
These look at health care from the consumer's point of view. These measures look at how well a health care organization prevents and treats illness. You may be able to find consumer ratings, clinical performance measures, or both in quality reports. Quality reports go by different names, including performance reports and report cards. Quality reports don't tell you which health care choices are the best.