What does risk adjustment address in performance measurement?

• A. Patient health status and complexity
• B. Administrative convenience
• C. Hospital size
• D. Geographic region

Answer: (C)

Risk adjustment in performance measurement focuses on making fair comparisons by accounting for differences in patient health status and case complexity. By adjusting for how sick or complex the patients are, outcomes and performance metrics reflect true quality or efficiency rather than simply the mix of patients a provider treats. This helps ensure that a hospital serving more severely ill or higher-risk patients isn’t penalized for worse outcomes that are due to patient risk rather than quality of care.

Administrative convenience, hospital size, and geographic region are not the main targets of risk adjustment. They may influence data and model development, but the core purpose is to level the playing field by adjusting for patient risk factors.