09 Aug CMS Expands HospitalCompare Data

HealthLeadersMedia | Federal health officials have announced that they have expanded the HospitalCompare website, making more information available on 30-day mortality rates for three conditions, and showcasing a new “one-stop shopping” format to find data on various types of healthcare services, from physicians to dialysis centers.

Hospital Compare provides information on how well hospitals provide recommended care to patients.

Officials also announced expansion of the Quality Improvement Organization program, which provides technical assistance and resources to providers who are having trouble meeting quality standards.

“By reporting quality data and providing a transparent view of performance, we’re engaging the healthcare professions and those organizations that deliver care in achieving our shared goals, to deliver quality care to each and every patient,” said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator, Don Berwick, MD in a statement.

The first part of the expansion involves an additional year of data on 30-day mortality rates for heart attack, pneumonia and heart failure for each of 4,700 hospitals in the U.S. where those care services are performed.

Mortality rates for heart attack fell from 16.2% in the 2006-2009 period to 15.9% in 2007-2010, a .3% drop. But mortality rates for patients with pneumonia went from 11.6% to 11.9% and for patients with heart failure went from 11.2% to 11.3%.

New data showing small changes were also released for 30-day readmission rates for these same diagnoses. Readmission rates were .1% lower for heart attack in the 2007-2010 period (from 19.8%) compared with 2006-2009 (19.9%) but were higher for pneumonia (from 18.2% to 18.4%) and heart failure (from 24.5% to 24.8%).

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