While patient-reported outcome (PRO) surveys support the timely identification of at-risk individuals or populations based
on current health status, these same tools are also tremendously effective in helping to measure and manage the health of
individuals over time.
QualityMetric's SF™ Generic Health Surveys – the SF-36®, SF-36v2™, SF-12®, SF-12v2™, and SF-8™ Health Surveys – are recognized
as the leading measures of physical and mental health status. These surveys have been documented in over 8,000 peer-reviewed
articles to accurately quantify health functioning and well-being, and are standardized to allow for comparisons between
treatment and programs, patients, and populations. They provide for the effective measurement of changing health care needs
and program responsiveness, while assisting with the development of appropriate care plans. Further, administering one of
the SF Generic Health Surveys at selected intervals – such as before, during and after a disease management intervention –
allows for the comparison of physical functioning and mental well-being relative to specific program participation.
In addition to the SF Generic Health Surveys, QualityMetric also offers disease-specific tools, providing additional
information required to monitor patients with common and costly chronic conditions. These disease screeners, both scientifically-validated
and clinically-relevant, not only engage chronic patients in their own health management, but also assist with various compliance
initiatives required of most care management organizations.
Case Point: Kaiser Permanente
When the Care Management Institute (CMI) at Kaiser Permanente, the nation's largest nonprofit health plan, became interested in evaluating member
health status as well as the impact of its care management over time, it turned to QualityMetric.
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In order to effectively measure the
health status of some of its sickest members, the CMI needed to find an easy-to-use measure capable of yielding comparisons across a sample of over
10,000 chronically-ill individuals, in a cost-effective manner.
After consulting with QualityMetric, the CMI ultimately selected the SF-8 Health Survey, a comprehensive yet short measure that captures an individual's
overall mental and physical well-being. Comprised of eight questions and scored on the same metric as the SF-36 Health Survey, respondents could respond
to the survey either telephonically or via the Internet. In turn, the CMI would determine if mode of administration had any relationship to outcomes.
Understanding the impact of its clinical and care management services on the needs of special populations allows organizations such as Kaiser to:
- Manage member health
- Benchmark the relative burden of disease (or health of a population)
- Engage members based on reported level of functioning, as opposed to traditional measures of a condition alone
Strategically, Kaiser can act upon this information to create self-management programs that promote member wellness, improve resource utilization, and demonstrate quality results.
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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