Better outcomes

On a personal level, everyone can relate to better healthcare outcomes. We yearn for better outcomes in our own lives whenever we visit a doctor or a hospital. Specifically, here are some of the things about which we are concerned:

• Accurate diagnosis: When we see a physician, usually it is for a medical problem. The problem may be causing some amount of pain or anxiety in our lives. What we care about is that the cause of this problem will be accurately identified so that the problem may be effectively treated.
• Effective treatment: Treatment may be expensive, time-consuming, and may cause adverse side-effects; therefore, we want to be sure that the treatment is effective. We don't want to have to take another vacation day to see a doctor or be admitted to the hospital for the same problem two months from now–such an experience would be costly, in terms of both time and money (either through medical bills or tax dollars).
• No complications: We don't want to come down with a new infection or take a dangerous fall while we are seeking care for the current ailment.
• An overall improved quality of life: To summarize the concept of better health outcomes, while governmental bodies and physician organizations may have different ways of measuring outcomes, what we aim for is an improved quality and longevity of life that is pain- and worry-free.