To build an effective and efficient measurement structure without imposing an undue burden on accredited organizations, the Joint Commission integrated a group of existing measurement systems meeting certain criteria into its accreditation process under a single performance measurement umbrella. A principal tenet of this plan was the preservation of the element of choice for accredited organizations by allowing selection of an appropriate measurement system from among a group of evaluated systems. Within each measurement system, further choice is afforded accredited organizations in the selection of indicators most applicable to their services and that best meet their needs.
The Joint Commission defines a performance measurement system as an inter-related set of process measures, outcome measures, or both that facilitates internal comparisons over time and external comparisons of an organization's performance. It is anticipated that performance measurement systems will meet the Joint Commission's needs by supplying comparative data that can be:
- incorporated into the survey and accreditation process; and
- used to monitor an accredited organization's performance between on-site surveys.
To integrate disparate measurement systems into the accreditation process, a fair and effective method for identifying measurement systems meeting Joint Commission accreditation needs has been developed. Regardless of the purpose for which a measurement system might have been developed, it must be assessed impartially against established criteria by qualified evaluators for its potential usefulness in accreditation.
As part of this process, each candidate measurement system will be evaluated by the Joint Commission's Advisory Council on Performance Measurement against Performance Measurement System Requirements for ORYX Listing comprised of measurable initial screening requirements and future review criteria. As identified by the Council, these attributes relate to: the characteristics of performance measures; system technical capabilities; data quality and measure accuracy; risk adjustment; and performance measure-related feedback.
Measurement systems are expected to be fully prepared for integration into the accreditation process immediately. All screening requirements have been designated for immediate compliance and are being used by the Council to identify systems with the potential to meet future accreditation needs.