The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' Indicator Measurement System. Health care outcomes database

Abstract

The Indicator Measurement System (IMSystem) is a health care performance measurement system developed to meet future accreditation needs of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The IMSystem database began accepting data in 1994 and has grown to nearly one million patient-episode-of-care records from more than 80 US hospitals. Some hospitals are small and rural; others are large medical centers. An underlying goal of the IMSystem is to improve care by providing comparative feedback to participants; a patient should expect to receive the same quality of care regardless of the type, size, or location of the health care organization. Currently, the acute care indicators focus on perioperative, obstetric, cardiovascular, oncology, trauma care, and medication use and infection control functions. Beginning January 1, 1997, outpatient and ambulatory surgery patients can be included in selected indicators. Patient-level data are submitted electronically every quarter. Risk-adjusted comparative reports are provided to data-submitting organizations within 120 days of the quarter's end.