Performance Evaluation of Hospitals’ Emergency Departments using a Modified American Productivity and Quality Center Approach

Abstract

Presented is a modification of the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) approach to the performance evaluation of hospital emergency departments. This modified approach allows individual hospitals to make better estimates of cost containment and productivity relative to an industry-wide benchmark, by using patient acuity to convert conventional performance data into two measurements: an efficiency indicator and a price recovery ratio to better facilitate the establishment of a cost-quality connection.