An algorithm aimed at determining which hospitals have the highest rates of preventable conditions found that 21 percent of hospitals failed to meet the standard.
Data provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services revealed that 724 of the 3,398 eligible hospitals will receive a one percent penalty for their failure to prevent preventable conditions. The algorithm used to uncover the data looks largely at hospital infection rates for central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, as well as other preventable conditions, like pressure ulcers, postoperative hip fractures and postoperative sepsis. The program also included data from a two-question patient survey, which asked patients if they were given ample information about their post-op rehab, and if they understood what next steps they needed to take once they left the hospital.
While the findings are interesting, as you may have guessed, more than a few hospitals are upset about their rankings. Nancy Foster, vice president of quality and patient safety policy at the American Hospital Association said the equation is “a poorly designed policy that unfairly penalizes hospitals that care for the sickest patients.” She added that the method “needs to be reformed to more effectively promote improvement. And, better measures are needed that accurately reflect performance.”
Readmissions and The Flu
Two other aspects the algorithm looked to identify were hospital readmissions and the spread of the influenza virus. In hopes of severely reducing remission rates, hospitals with the highest rates will receive a three percent penalty under the Readmission Reduction program. It’s unclear how many hospitals will receive the three percent penalty.
As for the influenza virus, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun tracking employee vaccination data. Shockingly, in about 33 percent hospitals required to report this information, 25 percent or more of healthcare employees were unvaccinated.
Liz Garman, spokeswoman the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, said the new data on vaccination rates is “a positive development for patients and should spur facilities to bolster their employee flu vaccination programs.”
Garman’s association supports mandatory flu vaccination for healthcare employees, which she said is extremely important this time of year.
“The CDC is predicting a harsh flu season this year with higher numbers of illness and hospitalizations. APIC supports mandatory flu vaccinations of healthcare personnel as a condition of employment to ensure patient safety and protect those individuals at high risk of developing complications of influenza.”
Dr. Silverman comments
While I agree there’s no perfect way to adjust the algorithm to account for hospitals that are treating sicker patients, the fact of the matter is a significant amount of hospitals are failing their patients. Doctors and healthcare workers need to take the extra few seconds to ensure they read the right label on the bottle or to ensure all surgical equipment is accounted for before stitching up a patient.
Never-events are happening at a far too high rate, and it’s the patients, the ones who trust us to help them, who are suffering because of it.
Related source: MedPage Today