Measuring What Matters

The purpose of health care is to improve health outcomes for the person being served. Measuring the outcomes that matter most to individuals and families enables clinical teams to learn faster and identify innovations that improve outcomes further. The Value Institute offers implementation strategies for outcome measurement using a framework that defines outcomes that matter most to patients in the following three categories:

  • Capability: Does care help patients function at the highest level possible given their health condition?

  • Comfort: Does care reduce the pain and anxiety associated with the condition?

  • Calm: Are patients able to live normally while receiving care?

This framework allows care teams to know if value is being created for individual patients and their families. We are engaged in researching pragmatic methods to measure outcomes during the course of care and not just after care. In addition, we provide guidance on cost measurement to guide managerial decisions.