Dive Brief:
- A recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that current hospital performance measures are not giving adequate attention to overuse of clinical services.
- The researchers looked at 16 collections of data that encompassed 521 outpatient performance measures. They found that while 92% addressed care underuse, only 7% targeted overuse. Of the collections, nearly half omitted any measures relating to overuse.
- "Our findings suggest that, by focusing almost single-mindedly on identifying and penalizing underuse, current outpatient performance measures may well foster a culture of 'more is better'--and inadvertently encourage overuse of care," writes researcher Dr. Erika Newton.
Dive Insight:
The authors suggest that despite the currently "overwhelming" emphasis on underuse, existing performance measurement systems are well positioned to target both overuse and underuse. This would allow hospitals to measure the aggregate effects of measure program implementation, they write.
By promoting balance across measure collections, a "Goldilocks approach" could "encourage clinicans and institutions to target a balance of care that is just right."