Measurement
C-TAC has developed the ACT Index as a tool to evaluate the quality of serious illness care using evidence-based measures. It allows healthcare leaders, policymakers, regulators, communities, and consumers to track progress towards improving care at the national and state-level and track its progress over time against leaders in different domains and determine the changes needed for care improvement.
Originally the Index was comprised of 37 measures in 5 domains. In 2022, under the advisement of the C-TAC Board, invited stakeholders and data experts, we reduced the measures to 26 in 4 domains. The measures included in the Index address four key domains that must be addressed for those with serious illness; these include Care, Costs, Community & Caregivers, and Communications.
Two measure types are incorporated into the Index: 1. patient and family surveys of the patient care experience, and 2. transactional care processes such as cost, hospital readmissions, and home health visits.