Measurement & Improvement Aims

The WCHQ Performance & Progress Report aligns its measures with the Institute for Medicine's (IOM) Aims for Improvement to raise the quality of care.

IOM Aims for Improvement

• Safety — Avoid injuries to patients from the care that is intended to help them.
• Effectiveness — Provide services based on scientific knowledge to all who could benefit, and refrain from providing services to those not likely to benefit. Avoid underuse and overuse, respectively.
• Patient-centeredness — Provide care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values. Ensure that patient values guide all clinical decisions.
• Timeliness — Reduce waiting time and potentially harmful delays for both those who receive and provide care.
• Efficiency — Avoid waste, including the waste of equipment, supplies, ideas, and energy.
• Equity — Provide care that does not vary in quality because of personal characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, geographic location, and socioeconomic status.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is an independent, nonprofit organization that advises the nation to improve health, by providing reliable evidence for healthcare decision-making within the government and private sector.

To learn more about the Aims for Improvement, download the IOM report, Crossing the Quality Chasm.