The AAFP has developed a new course to help members gain a basic understanding of how performance measures are created and used to improve patient care, increase accountability and boost physician compensation.
New AAFP CME Course
Learn to Use Performance Measures Effectively
By News Staff
6/6/2007
The new course is titled "Understanding and Implementing Performance Measures: The Fundamentals for Evaluating Healthcare Quality." It will be held Aug. 10-11 in Denver. Early-bird registration is open through July 13.
Performance measures are vital to assess progress in improving health care -- whether that means delivery of preventive care services or comprehensive care for patients with acute illness or chronic conditions. The use of systems and clinical performance measures, once limited to internal quality improvement initiatives, has expanded to public reporting, accountability and pay-for-performance programs.
After completing the course, participants should be able to
Performance measures are vital to assess progress in improving health care -- whether that means delivery of preventive care services or comprehensive care for patients with acute illness or chronic conditions. The use of systems and clinical performance measures, once limited to internal quality improvement initiatives, has expanded to public reporting, accountability and pay-for-performance programs.
After completing the course, participants should be able to
- understand the concepts underpinning evidence-based medicine and how EBM is developed and applied;
- understand the process of developing performance measures to help track quality improvement and accountability;
- learn how to integrate performance measures into practice with the goal of improving quality; and
- describe how external organization, including payers, use performance measures.
The course has been reviewed and is acceptable for 8.5 Prescribed CME credits. It will include mini-lectures, case studies, workshop exercises and group discussions.
