Making Information on Healthcare Quality Truly Useful

Efforts to share information about the quality of healthcare organizations have not generally improved health outcomes. A new article coauthored by Wally Hopp, Michigan Ross associate dean for part-time MBA programs, offers insightful ideas on using healthcare quality data more effectively.

In the National Academy of Medicine Perspectives article, Hopp and coauthor Soroush Saghafian of Harvard University argue that more transparency about quality can improve healthcare, but only if it’s done correctly. Specifically, they recommend:

• Information on health outcomes must not only be widely available, it should be understandable and usable by the general public.

• The largest impact will come from targeting such information to segments of the population who are most likely to use it effectively.

• Policy changes are also necessary, such as subsidizing travel so that consumers are more likely to seek the best option rather than the closest.

In addition, the authors explain ways that publicly shared information can affect the way healthcare providers operate, such as shifting resources toward improving quality.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Wally Hopp is the Associate Dean for Part-Time MBA Programs; C.K. Prahalad Distinguished University Professor of Business and Engineering; and Professor of Technology and Operations at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

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