Hospital Compare
Hospital Compare allows consumers to select multiple hospitals and directly
compare performance measure information related to heart attack, heart
failure, pneumonia, surgery and other conditions.
These results are organized by:
- Patient survey results
- Timely and effective care
- Readmissions, complications and deaths
- Use of medical imaging
- Linking quality to payment
- Medicare volume
Readmissions
Patients who are admitted to the hospital for treatment of one medical
problem sometimes get other serious injuries, complications or conditions,
and may even die. These events can often be prevented if hospitals follow
best practices for treating patients.
What is this, and why is it important?
- The rates of unplanned readmission focus on whether patients who were discharged
from a hospital stay were hospitalized again within 30 days. Patients
may have been readmitted back to the same hospital or to a different hospital.
They may have been readmitted for a condition that is related to their
recent hospitalization or for an entirely different reason.
- Rates of unplanned readmission show whether a hospital is doing its best
to prevent complications, provide clear discharge instructions to patients
and help patients make a smooth transition to their home or another setting
like a nursing home.
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The hospital readmission rates are based on people with
Original Medicare (traditional fee-for-service Medicare) who are 65 and older. The heart
attack, heart failure and pneumonia unplanned readmission measures also
include patients aged 65 or older who were admitted to Veteran's Health
Administration (VA) hospitals. These rates are calculated using Medicare
enrollment and claims records, and a complex statistical procedure known
as hierarchical logistic regression modeling. The readmission rate is
risk-adjusted, meaning that the calculations take into account how sick patients were
when they were first hospitalized. Risk-adjusting the readmission rate
helps make comparisons accurate and meaningful, especially for hospitals
that treat sicker patients.
View the Health System's Hospital Compare Readmissions data by clicking
on the link below:
Health Care-associated Infections
Health care-associated infections, or HAIs, are infections that people
get while they're receiving treatment for another condition in a health
care setting. HAIs can occur in all settings of care, including acute
care hospitals, long term acute care hospitals, rehabilitation facilities,
surgical centers, cancer hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. Many
of these infections can be prevented through the use of proper procedures
and precautions. Lower numbers are better. A score of zero (0) is best.
What is this, and why is it important?
Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections
Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections
-
A catheter is a drainage tube that is inserted by a doctor into a patient’s
urinary bladder through the urethra and is left in place to collect urine
while a patient is immobile or incontinent. When not inserted correctly
or kept clean, or if left in place for long periods of time, catheters
can become an easy way for germs to enter the body and cause serious infections
in the urinary tract. These infections are called
catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), and they can cause additional illness or be deadly. CAUTIs are mostly
preventable when health care providers use
infection control steps recommended by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC)
-
This measure compares the number of catheter-associated urinary tract infections
in certain locations in a hospital to a national benchmark.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Blood Laboratory Identified Events
Bloodstream Infections
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria
that is resistant to certain antibiotics. MRSA infections in the bloodstream
can be caught in hospital settings, and may cause severe or life-threatening symptoms.
- Hospital staff can prevent MRSA from being transmitted to patients by taking
certain precautions, like washing hands; using protective gloves and gowns;
sterilizing equipment between patients; covering the mouth, nose and eyes
when appropriate; and practicing responsible use of antibiotics. Responsible
use of antibiotics includes limiting the dosage to only what is needed
to combat the infection, and avoiding the use of more powerful antibiotics
when a narrow-spectrum antibiotic will work.
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Symptoms from MRSA infections often take a few days to develop. Patients
are tested for MRSA bloodstream infections if they show signs of illness
while in the hospital. This measure compares the number of MRSA-positive
blood specimens collected 4 or more days after the patient entered the
hospital to a national benchmark.
Clostridium difficile (C.diff.) Laboratory Identified Events
Intestinal infections
- Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) is a type of bacteria that causes inflammation
of the colon. C. diff. infection can cause severe diarrhea, fever, appetite
loss, nausea and abdominal pain.
- Hospital staff can prevent C. diff. from being transmitted to patients
by taking certain precautions, like washing hands; using protective gloves
and gowns; practicing responsible use of antibiotics; covering the mouth,
nose and eyes when appropriate; and sterilizing equipment between patients.
Responsible use of antibiotics includes limiting the dosage and length
of treatment to only what is needed to successfully combat the infection,
and avoiding the use of more powerful antibiotics when a narrow-spectrum
antibiotic will work.
- Symptoms from C. diff. infections often take a few days to develop. Patients
are tested for C. diff. infections if they show signs of illness while
in the hospital. This measure compares the number of stool specimens that
tested positive for C. diff. toxin 4 or more days after the patient entered
the hospital to a national benchmark.
View the Health System's Hospital Compare Infections data by clicking
on the link below: