Planning a ROI Analysis

Prior to undertaking a quality improvement activity or investing in facility changes, we must plan not only what will be done but also what will be measured and how it will be assessed and evaluated. Only then can we begin to convene stakeholders, amass necessary materials, and recruit participants. Over the last twenty years, we have learned a lot about improving the quality of care that we can apply in our quest to understand how to assess and improve value. We know that to really effect change, quality needs to be specific and measurable. Being specific means that we must consider how quality is defined and for whom. To be measurable, we must consider the data we will use, how surrogates are leveraged, and how we will know if/when quality is good/bad and better/worse. These same concepts should be applied in endeavors to assess and improve value. Additionally, we should develop plans for assessing quality and value in tandem, instead of separately.