Systems and methods are provided for facilitating management of health
care in medical facilities such as hospitals, clinics, emergency rooms,
etc., for example by monitoring and assessing the quality of patient
care. Data is collected and operated on relating to medical conditions,
treatment, cost, care, events, outcomes and results of treatments, and
data representing the collective experience of similar patients is mined
to discover opportunities to improve the quality of health care.
Statistical and comparative data and reports including such and other
information indicate a quality of care and provide epidemiologically
cogent information. Quality of care may be considered as achieving
desired or expected norms of performance, including success, in a timely
fashion, and can be judged not just by what functionally happens during a
patient instigated encounter, but also by long term outcomes evidenced by
the patient's passage through the health care delivery system.