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Patient survey, other measures coming to Hospital Compare
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Sept. 11, 2006
Between 2007 and 2009, the Hospital Quality Alliance will expand the number of quality measures they ask hospitals to report for public release at the Hospital Compare Web site (link), HQA announced last month.
In October, the group will begin collecting data on patients' perception about physician and nurse performance and responsiveness, hospital cleanliness and noise levels, pain control and discharge planning. The data is set to be released on Hospital Compare in late 2007.
Mortality rates for heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia patients after hospital admission also will be among the new measures added to the 21 already in place, along with how well hospitals adhere to guidelines on preventing blood clots, surgical site infections and postsurgical heart attacks and pneumonia. Data on pediatric asthma care and on infections in intensive care and critical care units also will be newly reported.
The National Quality Forum has endorsed the heart-care mortality rate measures, while the others are up for the group's consideration.
Already, more than 96% of eligible hospitals submit quality information for a starter set of 10 measures related to heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia that were rolled out in 2004.
Hospitals faced a 0.4% cut in Medicare reimbursement for failing to report, and a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rule finalized last month will tie payment to reporting on an additional 11 measures previously adopted by HQA and endorsed by NQF.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/09/11/prbf0911.htm.
