The risks of not adjusting performance measures for sociodemographic factors.

Abstract

Ideas and Opinions21 October 2014The Risks of Not Adjusting Performance Measures for Sociodemographic FactorsSteven H. Lipstein, MHA and W. Claiborne Dunagan, MD, MSSteven H. Lipstein, MHAFrom BJC HealthCare, St. Louis, Missouri.Search for more papers by this author and W. Claiborne Dunagan, MD, MSFrom BJC HealthCare, St. Louis, Missouri.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M14-1601 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The National Quality Forum (NQF) recently convened an expert panel to make recommendations on a much-debated topic: whether to risk-adjust health care outcomes for sociodemographic factors present at the initiation of medical care and treatment. The panel completed its work in early July 2014, making the following recommendation:When there is a conceptual relationship (i.e., logical rationale or theory) between sociodemographic factors and outcomes or processes of care and empirical evidence (e.g., statistical analysis) that sociodemographic factors affect an outcome or process of care reflected in a performance measure: those sociodemographic factors should be included in risk adjustment of the ...