Alan Gregg Memorial Lecture

"Transparency and Choice in Health Care—The Quality View"

Carolyn Clancy, M.D.
Director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Carolyn Clancy, M.D., director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, delivered the annual Alan Gregg Memorial Lecture, "Transparency and Choice in Health Care—The Quality View."  In her talk, she reviewed current trends and issues in patient safety and health care quality; outlined research findings and environmental pressures that are shaping the future direction of health care delivery, including the rapid adoption of health information technology; and described, in particular, the vision for using health care transparency to help provide the balance that is required to develop good quality measures and promote value-driven health care.

Clancy asserted that a robust health system must include capacity for rapid translation of beneficial advances or breakthroughs and connectivity with the biomedical enterprise.  She pointed to the current disconnect between "achievability" (what can work under ideal circumstances for some people) and "reliability" (getting it right for all patients every time—the first time).

She reminded the audience that quality is providing the right care, for the right person, at the right time; and she quickly pointed out the striking disconnect between health care costs (up 8 percent per year) and health care quality (up only 3.1 percent in 2006).  Most disparities in quality are not improving.

According to Clancy, key elements are missing in health care: delivery system design, real-time information, evidence-based management, and policy adjustments for improvement.  Transparency and transformation working together will create a 21st century health care system in which there are information-rich, patient-focused enterprises; information and evidence transform interactions from the reactive to the proactive (benefits and harms); actionable information is available to both clinicians and patients; and evidence is continually refined as a byproduct of care delivery.

Contact Us    © 1995-2009 AAMC    Terms and Conditions    Privacy Statement