title: An Analysis of Quality Measures in Diagnostic Radiology with Suggestions for Future Advancement.
abstract: Radiology in the United States of America is evolving from a fee-for-service to a value-based, "pay-for-performance" system. Such a system requires objective measures, termed metrics, to grade performance. Current grading systems in health care, not designed with the unique nature of radiology in mind, often emphasize patient outcomes; this can be a challenge for measuring and grading performance in radiology, which is often several steps removed from patient outcome. At the present, while there are hundreds of individual radiology-specific metrics, there is no widely accepted overall standard for quality or value in diagnostic radiology services. This article analyzes the current system of radiology metrics and suggests a new direction for performance-based reimbursement in diagnostic radiology, focusing on a limited number of reasonably measurable outcomes-related factors that are specific to radiology.
authors.affiliation: Radiology Partners (Illinois). Electronic address: richard.heller@radpartners.com.
authors.forename: Richard E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Heller
mesh_terms: D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000191:economics* / Q000592:standards*; D018588:Fee-for-Service Plans; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D006278:Medicare / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011445:Prospective Payment System / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011871:Radiology / Q000191:economics* / Q000592:standards*; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012052:Reimbursement, Incentive / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States
keywords: PQRS; Quality; metrics; outcomes; value; value equation