Common use of Better Care Clause in Contracts

Better Care. Improve the overall quality of the US health system by making health care more patient-centered, reliable, accessible, and safe. These goals, set forward by the Institute of Medicine in Crossing the Quality Chasm, are important domains for assessing the effectiveness of care improvements. In the context of the DSTI program, there is a focus on both the quality and experience of patient care. One area of increasing national attention has been a focus on improvement of care transitions between providers or settings of care. Health care transitions, such as moves in and out of hospitals to post-acute care/nursing home care, home care (with and without home care supports), or outpatient care have been shown to be prone to medical errors; poor care coordination, infections and incorrect usage of medications—leading to potentially avoidable hospital readmissions, less than optimal patient health outcomes, and added health care costs. This is especially the case for complex care needs, patients with social acuity, and co-occurring health conditions. Given the importance of examining patient care transitions and their effect on patient outcomes, three Common Measures, utilizing patient experience of care measures from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey focus on whether patients’ felt they had a good understanding of their medications and care needs post-discharge. Medication adherence and errors are a leading source of unnecessary emergency and acute care; therefore, it is an area of shared focus.94 Included within the HCAHPS measures is the Three-Item Care Transition Measure (CTM-3). This measure set has recently been added as a voluntary option to the HCAHPS survey.