Performance Measurement is the first in a new series of an ongoing effort bythe Institute of Medicine (IOM) to improve health care quality. PerformanceMeasurement offers a comprehensive review of available measures andintroduces a new framework to examine these measures against the sixaims of the health care system: health care should be safe, effective,patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable. This new book alsoaddresses the gaps in performance measurement and introduces the needfor measures that are longitudinal, comprehensive, population-based, andpatient-centered. This book is directed toward all concerned with improvingthe quality and performance of the nation''s health care system in itsmultiple dimensions and in both the public and private sectors.