James M. Naessens, Sc.D.

Being a health services researcher in the Division of Health Care Policy and Research and the Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, James M. Naessens, Sc.D., is primarily interested in issues around the cost and quality of health care and how changes in the way health care is delivered may impact the outcomes for patients.

In this era of attempts to address increasing costs, some health care reforms are necessary to assure that high-quality care can continue to be provided. Our research should help determine which changes work and which should be avoided.

Focus areas

• Measurement of quality of health care and patient safety. In order to provide high-quality care and minimize patient harm, we need to have good measures that can be consistently and regularly assessed.
• Value of care. To assure broad access to health care services in the future, we need to be able to assess the costs to patients, providers and payers and find ways to deliver high-quality services at the right time to the right patients at a reasonable cost with good patient-centered outcomes.
• Primary care. Electronic records and new modes of communication should enable the better delivery of health care. As the first contact for most patients, primary care is at the center of health care innovation.

Significance to patient care

While Dr. Naessens is not directly involved in patient care activities, the research in which he participates helps to focus improvement efforts within Mayo Clinic and across the nation, influences health care payment models, and even impacts government regulations. All these affect how care is delivered to individual patients by our teams of providers.