Letters: Let's streamline quality measures to reflect what really matters

The Oct. 17 editorial “Lower the volume on quality reporting,” correctly characterizes not only the conflict among hospital measurement requirements, but its effect on hospitals and patients. Measurement does help improve quality, but only if we measure the things that really matter to advance safe, effective and efficient care. The rapid growth in conflicting measure requirements takes time away from what matters most—using measures to improve care. Hospitals and patients alike need streamlined measures that strategically focus on the most important quality issues, and information on what changes are needed to improve outcomes and how to implement those changes. Let's come together to cut through the noise of excessive measurement and home in on what leads to truly better care for patients.

Rick Pollack

American Hospital Association

Thank you for the compelling and important article on drug prices and how they are affecting hospitals “Drug price hikes may be hitting hospitals harder than consumers." Hyperinflation targeting consumer drug pricing has received a great deal of media attention. The study sponsored by the American Hospital Association and the Federation of American Hospitals discussed in the article brought to light the fact that drug pricing is a larger problem for hospitals and affects the hospital's ability to control patient treatment costs. It's a huge concern to all of us working in healthcare and the pharmacy sector specifically as we employ a range of strategies to manage drug pricing, both to consumers and to hospitals. It's just common sense that if drug pricing continues to outpace payer reimbursements, then patients will not get the medications they need to get better and manage their health issues. A blockbuster drug helps no one if no one can afford it. This is a looming crisis for healthcare in our country, and we join the hospital organizations in calling for legislators and regulators to act.

Rod Recor

Comprehensive Pharmacy Services

Memphis, Tenn.