Assessing Cost, Access, and Quality

In this module’s readings, Shi and Singh (chapters 11 and 12) (2019) discuss the assessment of cost, access, and quality as health system outcomes and current trends and factors in the United States driving them. As focus has increasingly shifted from volume to value, enabling patients to compare the performance of different hospitals and other providers through public reporting of outcomes has become a priority. Using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website (Links to an external site.), you are going to assess the performance of your local hospitals. (If you live outside of the United States, use information for hospitals near Searcy, AR, where Harding is located.) I am located in Portland, Oregon, USA.
Suppose you are recently married, and you and your spouse just found out you are expecting your first child (congratulations!). You log-on to Hospital Compare to start to explore where you should have your baby. Write a paper addressing each of the following:
• Which hospital in your area is the “best”?
• What limitations are there in using this data?
• What other factors will influence your decision about where to receive care?
• For what situations would data like this be most helpful?
Reference
Shi, L., & Singh, D.A. (2019). Delivering Health Care in America: A Systems Approach, 7th edition. Jones & Bartlett. Burlington, MA. ISBN: 9781284124491