Healthcare organizations, employers, and government agencies are challenged to find efficient and comprehensive
ways of measuring the health of populations. The measures they use must be well documented, accepted by a broad
range of regulatory bodies, reflect multiple aspects of health over a wide range, permit comparisons within and
across groups, and demonstrate sensitivity to changes in health over time. Ideally, the measures they select must
meet all these requirements with as few items as possible, thereby minimizing respondent burden and data collection costs.
QualityMetric's products and services are uniquely designed to support comprehensive population monitoring. Our SF™
Generic Health Surveys– the SF-36v2™, SF-12v2™, and SF-8™ Health Surveys – are widely recognized as the leading
assessments of physical and mental health status. Their effectiveness in monitoring physical functioning and
mental well-being, assessing disease burden, and comparing the health of different populations and patient
groups is illustrated in more than 8,000 publications, including those describing more than 200 diseases and
conditions.
Case Point: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
In addition to a myriad of private sector organizations, QualityMetric's patient-reported outcome (PRO) surveys have also been
adopted by various governmental agencies seeking to determine, among other things, the effectiveness of treatment
programs, care delivery and policy decisions.
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) selected the SF-36® Health Survey as the core of its Medicare Health
Outcomes Survey (HOS). The HOS is the largest survey effort ever undertaken to gather information on the general health of the Medicare
population, as well as to understand how well the health care system meets the needs of this growing population.
The SF-36 was also used as part of the "effectiveness of care" component of the Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS),
deployed to over a million Medicare recipients since the late 1990s.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is also using an SF tool, the SF-12v2 Health Survey, for
its Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a nationally representative survey providing information on the
financing and utilization of medical care.
Generic
QualityMetric's SF-12, SF-12v2, and SF-8 Health Surveys are widely used for disease management purposes. Their reliability and
validity in assessing the burden of disease has been demonstrated for more than 100 patient populations. Many studies document their
ability to predict hospitalization, total medical expenditures, job loss and work productivity, future health, risk of depression,
use of mental health care, and mortality.
Disease-specific
QualityMetric disease-specific surveys can be used alone to screen for and monitor impact on functional status and
well-being. They can also be paired with an SF Generic Health Survey to capture a more comprehensive picture of
health status benefits resulting from treatment.
Modes of Administration
In addition to paper and pencil survey administration, many QualityMetric surveys are available for online, fax/scanning, PDA or IVR administration,
offering accurate data capture and scoring, real-time patient reports, and aggregate-level data with interpretative guidelines.
QualityMetric's Outcomes Insight™ Consulting Division has collaborated with health plans, disease management companies, employers and
insurers, supporting care management through the scientifically valid measurement of patient-reported health status. From the development
of a new or refinement of an existing disease-specific survey, to providing support in all aspects of study design
and program evaluation, our consultants provide broad-based expertise involving the use and application of
patient-reported outcomes survey.
For a list of services, click here.
Outcomes Education
QualityMetric offers an array of educational programs that can be customized to meet the needs of organizations exploring the value associated
with PRO measurement in program effectiveness and population monitoring:
Manuals and User Guides
The breadth of QualityMetric's scientific measurement expertise is best evidenced in the manuals and user guides that accompany each of our survey products.
They are also used independently for their research and interpretive value. Manuals include:
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