Previous  -  Next

What Is Quality and Why Is It Important?

What Is Quality?

Quality, According to the Institute of Medicine (1990), is the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge.

Quality can be reflected in a variety of program aspects such as:

• Access.
• Clinical effectiveness.
• Integration of services: coordination and continuity.
• Cultural competence.
• Comprehensiveness.

Why Is Quality Important?

Decisions made about how the SCHIP program is designed and implemented will affect not only the ability to measure the quality of care provided, but will also influence the quality of care that children receive.  The goal of the SCHIP program is not only to provide health insurance for uninsured children, but also to operate good systems that will, in the long-term, work well for children and families.

Quality measurement is critically important in health care programs because it can play a significant role in:

• Outcomes of health care.
• Health care costs.
• Consumer information and choice.

Related Questions

Give me an overall context

• What Are the Overall Issues Associated with Defining the Problem and the Intervention?

• What Are the Methods of Data Collection for SCHIP Evaluations?

• How Is Quality Measured?

What led to this?

• What Are the Basic Quality Performance Measurements and Mechanisms That Influence Quality?

Who presented this material?

• Patricia MacTaggart, M.B.A.