Final answer:
Performance measures used in HEDIS provide a way to compare health plans' care and service, essential for employers, consultants, and consumers. However, current standards like the ACHA-NCHA may lack cultural tailoring, impacting the effort to decrease health inequities. Balancing treatment costs, quality of life, and privacy in health records policy-making is also critical.
Step-by-step explanation:
Some widely used performance measures are included in the Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS), which is a tool used by more than 90 percent of America's health plans to measure performance on important dimensions of care and service. HEDIS consists of a set of standardized performance measures designed to ensure that purchasers and consumers have the information they need to reliably compare the performance of health care plans. Performance measures in HEDIS cover a range of health issues, including cancer screenings, heart disease treatment, diabetes management, mental health care, respiratory conditions, and many more. Health plans can use these measures to identify areas for improvement and track their progress over time. In addition, employers, consultants, and consumers use HEDIS data for health plan selection and improvement activities.
One issue with current measurement standards, such as those from The American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA), is that they do not always provide comprehensive or culturally tailored health reports, particularly for communities of color, which could affect efforts to reduce or eliminate health inequities. A more individualized approach might be necessary to increase overall quality of life and properly address health disparities.
In consideration of health records, it's important to pose questions that help develop policies that balance the costs of treatments and diagnoses, patient quality of life, and risks to individual privacy. These complex issues require thoughtful policy-making to ensure beneficial outcomes for all stakeholders in the health care system.