title: A replicable and customizable approach to improve ambulatory care and research.
abstract: Health care is a service industry. A fundamental attribute of many successful service industries is the "small replicable unit (SRU)." There are three essential elements of an SRU: (1) the smallest core unit of activity, (2) micromeasures designed to help manage the core activities, and (3) combinations of the activities and measures to match local customer needs. In this article, we describe a model for geriatric care based on "SRU thinking." We demonstrate how this approach places measurement of patient values, clinical improvement strategies, and research objectives into day-to-day health care delivery.
authors.affiliation: Center for the Aging, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH, USA.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wasson
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Jette
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Mohr
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000592:standards*; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009513:New Hampshire; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000592:standards; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000379:methods*