ARTICLE SUMMARY

'Value-based analysis, however, does require a standardized, generalizable framework to measure and display the dimensions of health care that matter most to patients.'

Some leading proponents of health care reform have argued that the goal of any health care system should be to deliver the most value to patients: the outcomes achieved for treating a medical condition relative to the costs incurred over a complete care cycle. But how do you calculate the value of care when, as is typically the case, a medical condition has many relevant outcomes, each measured in different ways? And how do you communicate that information in a way that is accessible and actionable?