OECD Conference on Health Systems Performance Measurement and Reporting

Citation

(2002), "OECD Conference on Health Systems Performance Measurement and Reporting", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 15 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2002.06215bab.002

OECD Conference on Health Systems Performance Measurement and Reporting

OECD Conference on Health Systems Performance Measurement and ReportingKeywords: Best practices, Health system, Performance measurement

In November delegates to a three-day’Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Conference, "Measuring up: Improving Health Systems Performance in OECD Countries", held in Ottawa, heard about best practices in health system performance measurement and shared experiences about how citizens, providers, governors and managers can best use performance measures to improve health systems within the OECD. The Conference was part of an ambitious three-year health project launched by the OECD in May 2001 to provide concrete information to national policy makers, helping them to improve their systems' performance and make difficult resource allocation decisions. The Health Project will ultimately address the public policy dilemma of deciding the appropriate amount of resources to be devoted to health care, as well as’how these resources should be financed and allocated.

Emphasising that public confidence in health care is a key priority for all Ministers, Canada's Health Minister, the Hon. Allan Rock, underlined the importance of performance measurement and reporting. He said:

The value of performance measurement lies in its ability to inform our health policy decision making. It can help us to ensure that citizens everywhere are able to obtain good health and lead productive lives and ensure that health systems work to their benefit.

Similar views were expressed by Ministers from several countries, such as France, the USA and the UK.

Mexico's Secretary of Health, Julio Frenk, highlighted some of the major initiatives under way in Mexico to build the political and social institutions it needs, including health systems. He said that, while performance measures have practical value in assessment of past decisions, they also offer enormous advantages for future planning and decision making. He also said:

International comparisons are essential to shared learning in that they can play a key role in democratising the health-care systems of countries like Mexico, while achieving our universal goal of better health for all.

In a keynote address, Dr David Naylor, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, spoke of the challenge of improving health systems, which are complex in the extreme. He said:

Better health care isn't about drawing grand blueprints and pulling big levers. It starts with tenacious work to understand what works and what doesn't. It must feature the engagement of countless providers and patients, institutions and communities.

Information about the Conference and key papers delivered is available on’the Conference Web site: http://www1.oecd.org/els/health/canconf/index.htm