Healthcare management in all types of health care facilities within the U.S. focuses on reducing cost of health benefits that patients receive while improving the quality of health care services provided. As a result, health care organizations establish competitive strategies within the health care industry. As this competition increases among health care establishments, patient satisfaction, quality, and efficient resource management are other components set up for measuring patient, health care providers, and health care organizations outcomes as related to these components. With the emphasis on quality outcomes, it is critical for health care organizations to develop and implement effective strategies for providing quality and effective care that is appealing to patients as well as focus on controlling costs. Healthcare as a whole focuses on the challenges of attracting and talented employees while delivering consistently effective and efficient care. However, with the advancement in technology, advancements in medications, as well as improved health care practices, other areas regarding quality are measured other than patient and clinical outcomes of the health care organization. Areas such as patient satisfaction are becoming an important dimension because the notion of consumer driven health care increasingly applies to patient choice within the health care industry. Providing patient choice provides patients an opportunity to obtain ownership of their health care choices and encourages the patient to be involved in the plan of care and with the decision making process related to their health care. This too is all rolled into the whole quality of care concept as well as patient satisfaction. With all of the changes in the health care industry, including pressure to reduce costs, improve the quality of care, and meet the set guidelines and requirements, has focused health care organizations as well as clinicians to really evaluate their performance. Healthcare organizations need to look beyond financial measures when looking at performance. Financials are important, but many other components also come into play with measuring quality. Healthcare organizations have adopted and implemented quality concepts in an effort to improve their performance measurement systems for quality care delivered to the patients they served.
