Measuring Quality How do we determine quality? Quality in other areas of our lives can be subjective, so how do we ensure—specifically as it relates to our nursing practice—that quality is clearly defined and measurable? Tools for measuring quality are used to assess the value measured, collected, or compared. These tools allow for subjectivity to be replaced with objectivity through data, formula, ranking, and analysis. For this paper, explore at least three rate-based measures of quality. Deconstruct each measure to explore understanding of the measure, its importance, and its impact on patient safety, cost of healthcare, and overall quality of healthcare. To Prepare: • Select three rate-based measurements of quality that you would like to focus on for this Assignment. o Note: These measurements must relate to some aspect of clinical or service quality that directly relates to patient care or the patient’s experience of care, and for the purposes of this Assignment, an analysis of staffing levels is not permitted. o You can find useful information on quality indicators that are of interest to you on these websites and resources. You may choose only one of the three measures to be some form of patient satisfaction measure. • Consider how the three rate-based measures (you will select) are defined, how the rates were determined or calculated, how the measures were collected, and how these measures are communicated to both internal and external stakeholders. • Reflect on how the three rate-based measures (you will select) may relate to organizational goals for improved performance. • Reflect on the three rate-based measures (you will select), and consider the importance of these measures on patient safety, cost of healthcare, and overall quality of healthcare. The Assignment: (9 pages) • Describe the three rate-based measures of quality you selected, and explain why. • Deconstruct each measure to include the following: o Describe the definition of the measure. o Explain the numerical description of how the measure is constructed (the numerator/denominator measure counts, the formula used to construct the rate, etc.). o Explain how the data for this measure are collected. o Describe how the measurement is compared externally to other like settings, and differentiate between the actual rate and a percentile ranking. Be specific. o Explain whether the measure is risk adjusted or not. If so, explain briefly how this is accomplished. o Describe how goals might be set for each measure in an aggressive organization, which is seeking to excel in the marketplace. Be specific and provide examples. • Describe the importance of each measure to a chosen clinical organization and setting. o Using the websites and resources you can choose a hospital, a nursing home, a home health agency (PREFERRED), a dialysis center, a health plan, an outpatient clinic, or private office.