How outcome data can be used to evaluate care. Guidelines for physician mortality review.

Outcome data, such as hospital-specific mortality data, are indirect indicators of the quality of care. For example, in using hospital-specific mortality data as indicators of the quality of care, it is essential to determine if the deaths might have been prevented had better care been provided. To determine if deaths were potentially preventable, the process of the care provided must be reviewed. The Guidelines for Physician Mortality Review outlines a systematic, step-by-step process for physicians to use in reviewing the process of care to determine if the deaths might have been prevented.