IOM panel proposes framework for prioritizing U.S. measures of health, health care

An Institute of Medicine committee today recommended 15 core measures, or “vital signs,” and 32 related priority measures for tracking U.S. progress toward improved health and health care, citing the need to reduce the burden of unnecessary reporting and focus on “change that matters most.” According to the report, “Implementation of this measure set will depend on leadership at every level of the health system, but in particular on the leadership of the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who is the natural mainstay of the coordinated, multistakeholder process for refining and implementing the core measures that the committee envisions in its recommendations.” The 15 core measures are life expectancy, well-being, overweight and obesity, addictive behavior, unintended pregnancy, healthy communities, preventive services, care access, patient safety, evidence-based care, care match with patient goals, personal spending burden, population spending burden, individual engagement, and community engagement. Participating this afternoon on a national leadership panel convened by the IOM to discuss the implications of the report and actions for stakeholders, AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock voiced support for the report, calling it “the type of direction, the type of common playbook that we need as a nation.”