title: Creating a framework for getting quality into the public health system.
abstract: The US health care system has undertaken concerted efforts to improve the quality of care that Americans receive, using well-documented strategies and new incentives found in the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Applying quality concepts to public health has lagged these efforts, however. This article describes two reports from the Department of Health and Human Services: Consensus Statement on Quality in the Public Health System and Priority Areas for Improvement of Quality in Public Health. These reports define what is meant by public health quality, establish quality aims, and highlight priority areas needing improvement. We describe how these developments relate to the Affordable Care Act and serve as a call to action for ensuring a better future for population health. We present real-world examples of how a framework of quality concepts can be applied in the National Vaccine Safety Program and in a state office of minority health.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Systems, Finance, and Quality Program in the Office of Healthcare Quality/Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Washington, DC, USA. peggy.honore@hhs.gov
authors.forename: Peggy A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Honoré
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Donald M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Berwick
authors.forename: Carolyn M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Clancy
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Juleigh
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nowinski
authors.forename: Howard K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Koh
mesh_terms: D058991:Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D015980:Public Health Practice / Q000592:standards*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States; D014483:United States Dept. of Health and Human Services