Industry Odisha Bureau, Sep 28: NITI Aayog is drafting a national quality framework for government and private hospitals. It would measure patient safety and clinical outcomes. The aim is clearer, comparable information for patients.
India is moving to make hospital quality measurable and comparable. Niti Aayog is developing a national quality framework for public and private hospitals. The framework is intended to align with international standards.
Its stated goals include safer care, better clinical outcomes and stronger patient experience. It also aims to help patients make informed choices between hospitals. The government believes transparent, audited grading could lift standards across India’s healthcare system.
The idea was conceived some years ago. It has gained momentum under Niti Aayog’s new team.
Safety at the core
Patient safety is expected to sit at the heart of the framework. Last week, Niti Aayog held a stakeholder consultation under member M Srinivas. It discussed a credible, sustainable and patient-centric framework. The focus spanned quality of care, safety, outcomes and patient experience.
An industry expert who took part outlined possible safety measures. These could include patient-reported outcome measures and patient-reported experience measures. Hospital readmission rates and medication errors were also mentioned. None of these indicators has yet been formally adopted.
Specialty outcomes enter the picture
The framework could also go beyond general safety metrics. Specialty-specific subindicators are part of the plan. Examples include post-transplant survival rates. Postoperative mortality rates for oncology procedures are another. Such measures could allow closer comparison within complex clinical areas. They would add depth to broader hospital-wide indicators.
The disclosure gap
Private hospitals must already comply with an existing accreditation framework. It is set by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH). That framework covers patient safety and clinical quality. However, its reports and outcomes are not publicly disclosed. Patients therefore cannot see that data when choosing where to seek care. Transparent grading is intended to address that gap.
Srimayee Chakraborty of EY-Parthenon India said patients would be the foremost beneficiaries. Standardised indicators could help them make better-informed hospital choices, she said.
An international benchmark
The United Kingdom offers a point of comparison. Under its National Health Service (NHS), clinical outcomes and quality indicators are reported. Those indicators are also audited, helping patients choose hospitals by required service.
The government also expects international benchmarking to support medical tourism. That benefit remains an expectation rather than a certainty.
A year-end target
A senior official expects the framework to be ready by year-end. Hospitals could be graded as early as the next financial year, the official said. Neither date has been formally confirmed. The grading scale and methodology have not been disclosed.
Quality as a differentiator
The wider implications extend to competition among hospitals. Chakraborty said robust grading could help hospitals investing in clinical quality stand out. It could also help payors build products linked to healthcare outcomes and quality.
For patients, comparable data could make hospital selection more informed. Much will depend on the final design of the framework. The indicators eventually adopted will shape how Indian hospitals are compared.
