Abstract
Benchmarking (comparison of results) by introducing a “clinical indicator (CI),” an objective quantitative indicator consisting of complex components to measure the “quality of medical care,” is a powerful method to ensure and improve the quality, regardless of the acute or chronic stage of the care. The Japan Association of Medical and Care Facilities (hereafter referred to as the association), which has continued to emphasize the necessity and importance of chronic therapy as post-acute therapy (PAT) following acute therapy, completed its own “CI of chronic therapy” consisting of “10 areas and 62 items,” which fully reflects the characteristics of chronic therapy and efforts of people involved, and by which objective third-party evaluation can be made. This CI emphasizes various functions required for chronic therapy, is clearly differentiated from the usual CIs, which deal mainly with acute therapy, and is scored with a maximum of 124. It will be used for the “certification examination for chronic therapy certified hospitals” of the association and also utilized as a tool for making the standard of chronic therapy generally known, and its validity will be verified. Thereby, it will be possible to have discussions from various points of view, such as the medical supply system and health economics.
