Letter to Editor: Analyzing Quality of Care Delivery Issues

This assignment is a letter to the editor that addresses the issue of low-value healthcare services (LVHS) based on an article highlighting the overuse of these services. The letter emphasizes the negative impacts of LVHS, including increased healthcare spending without improved health quality, and the potential for adverse effects on patient outcomes. It discusses the factors contributing to LVHS, such as over-diagnosis and over-treatment, and highlights the need for quality measures to reduce unnecessary usage and waste. The letter references the American College of Physicians' identification of overused services and suggests the importance of evidence-based practices. It also mentions the strengths and weaknesses of the article and concludes by advocating for the publication of the letter to raise awareness about healthcare quality and patient satisfaction, with the goal of increasing efficiency in care patterns. References from various journals and books are included to support the arguments presented in the letter.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

TABLE OF CONTENTS
LETTER TO EDITOR.....................................................................................................................1
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

LETTER TO EDITOR
Your name
Address
Phone:
Email:
Date
To,
The Editor,
The Sunday Times,
Subject: Highlighting a Quality of Care Delivery Problem.
Dear Sir,
Based on the article, “Highlighting a Common Quality of Care Delivery”
Problem: “Overuse of Low-value Healthcare Services”, published on July 2018. Low value of
health care services (LVHC) are described as procedures that deliver less or no medical benefits.
Recently there has been increase in the spending of healthcare services but there is no
improvement in health quality, which results in risk to patient. Due to this, clinical decisions can
be affected. Performing low value services, increases load on the system as well as payers. It
further increases anxiety of patient with decrease in satisfaction. Presently Low Value of
Healthcare Services gives their contribution in expanding problems of diagnosing, overuse &
over treatment in healthcare. Hence, concerns regarding proper usage, improvement in care
quality and cost system have become extremely priority for policy makers & healthcare
institutions1.
1 Weled, B J Adzhigirey, L A and Pronovost PJ. Critical Care Delivery: The Importance
of Process of Care and ICU Structure to Improved Outcomes an Update from the
American College of Critical Care Medicine Task Force on Models of Critical Care.
Critical care medicine. 2015 Jul 1;43(7):1520-5.
1

The writer's primary aim was to analyse increasing issues of LVHS overuse and its impact.
Moreover, there has been certain factors which are to be considered in improving the measures to
help institutions to reduce unnecessary over usage and wastage associated with health care’s
services. The writer focuses upon, growing issues of healthcare quality, its overuse & wastage.
His research reveals that the widespread utilization of LVHS, affects not only to financial
problem but also has an impact on care quality and patient outcomes. The American College of
Physicians has identified tests that health care professional believe to be among most overused
and it results in a list of 37 services which consider low value that are against to clinical use
guidelines.
Excess overuse of low value healthcare services is prevailing and contributing to wastage of aid,
hence, rising cost of care. Most recent existing quality measures are established to address the
under use of high value services, with little attention to overuse. It has been also seen that The
National Quality Forum set some norms for healthcare measurement by administrative body that
measures quality before endorsement2. One of the review of superiority measure recognised that
only 37 of 160 measures could able to clearly define overuse. Additionally, the particular
measure focuses on common health care situations.3
The article mainly focuses on overuse of LVHS, presents a need for certain measures to address
common low value healthcare services. Writer also suggests that overuse quality measure should
be based on appropriate use, or evidence to show whether a service is likely to improve
outcomes that outweigh possible risks. Researchers have explained certain principles for
improving measures of quality which is supposed to reduce overuse. Furthermore, the measures
should be based on strong evidences in order to assess value of procedures both for population
and individual patient's.
2 Das, J, Holla, A, Mohpal A, and Muralidharan K. Quality and Accountability in Health
Care delivery: audit-study evidence from primary care in India. American Economic
Review. 2016 Dec;106(12):3765-99.
3 Cannesson, M, and Kain, Z. The perioperative surgical home: an innovative clinical care
delivery model. Journal of clinical anaesthesia. 2015 May 1;27(3):185-7.
2

The strengths of article are that it is published recently with new measures regarding quality. It
helped to improve communication and knowledge for patients to reduce overuse. Whereas, its
weakness is that there are not many evidences and also there is a need of broader set of quality
measures so as capture bigger scope of LVHS.
As per my opinion the following information is useful and valid for your newspaper. It covers all
the relevant message regarding overuse of low value of healthcare services. It continues to
prevail and contribute to unsustainable increase in cost of aid. Hence, improving and utilising
quality measures will be difficult, but may help to improve Physicians understanding related to
significance of quality.
I hereby request you to publish this article in your newspaper in order to spread awareness
regarding improvement in quality of healthcare, patient’s satisfaction and their outcome. This
will also help in increasing efficiency in care patterns.
Yours sincerely,
XYZ (Coordinator),
Australia
3

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Das, J, Holla, A, Mohpal A, and Muralidharan K. Quality and Accountability in Health Care
delivery: audit-study evidence from primary care in India. American Economic Review.
2016 Dec;106(12):3765-99.
Cannesson, M, and Kain, Z. The perioperative surgical home: an innovative clinical care
delivery model. Journal of clinical anaesthesia. 2015 May 1;27(3):185-7.
Weled, B J Adzhigirey, L A and Pronovost PJ. Critical Care Delivery: The Importance of
Process of Care and ICU Structure to Improved Outcomes an Update from the American
College of Critical Care Medicine Task Force on Models of Critical Care. Critical care
medicine. 2015 Jul 1;43(7):1520-5.
4