NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by Contract No. HHSM-500-2004-00005C between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Performance measurement : accelerating improvement / Committee on Redesigning Health Insurance Performance Measures, Payment, and Performance Improvement Programs, Board on Health Care Services.

p. ; cm.—(Pathways to quality health care)

Includes bibiographical references.

1. Medical care—United States—Quality control. 2. Medical care—Standards—United States. 3. Performance—Measurement.

I. Institute of Medicine (U.S.). Committee on Redesigning Health Insurance Performance Measures, Payment, and Performance Improvement Programs. II. Series.

[DNLM: 1. Quality Assurance, Health Care—methods—United States. 2. Quality of Health Care—standards—United States. W 84 AA1 P32 2006]

RA399.A3P44 2006

362.1068—dc22

2005037405

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The serpent has been a symbol of long life, healing, and knowledge among almost all cultures and religions since the beginning of recorded history. The serpent adopted as a logotype by the Institute of Medicine is a relief carving from ancient Greece, now held by the Staatliche Museum in Berlin.