MEASURING POSITIVE OUTCOMES

MEASURING POSITIVE OUTCOMES

By Matt Stone QHCusa 2010

Are we lacking surplus revenue and reimbursements within healthcare organizations?

According to Bowmen (2010) article titled “Health Grades Evaluates about Hospital Emergency Medicine for the First time” is an analysis based on [risk-adjusted mortality outcomes] for patients admitted through our emergency departments.

We should take heed to Bowmen analysis as it relates to hospitals performance measures for quality. For example, our highest performance measure for quality reached a level of 5%, that’s 118,014 patients which could have potentially survived their emergency hospitalization” (Bowmen. 2010).

According to Bowmen (2010) as quoted from his article, "our most common causes for emergency department admission is found among specific demographics, such as, Medicare patients suffering from pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and sepsis.

Moreover, highest in hospital mortality rates were among patients with a primary diagnosis of sepsis, respiratory failure or heart attack.

TOP 11 conditions examined most common of life-threatening diagnoses or “Key drivers” driven by our Medicare demographic impacting reimbursements and driving cost.

-Bowel obstruction
-Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Diabetic acidosis and coma
- Gastrointestinal bleed- Heart attack
- Pancreatitis- Pneumonia- Pulmonary Embolism
- Respiratory Failure
- Sepsis
- Stroke

Bowmen (2010) writes "Nearly 120,000 deaths could have been prevented had all hospitals throughout the U.S. performed to the same standard as those hospitals in the top 5 percent of Health Grades' new annual study examining emergency care.

Is it ethical for us to ignore positive outcomes, and continue status quo?

The study looked at risk-adjusted mortality data of more than 4,900 hospitals nationwide from 2006 to 2008, specifically, focusing on our 11 common life-threatening diagnoses: (Bowmen, 2010)

- bowel obstruction
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- diabetic acidosis and coma
- gastrointestinal bleed- heart attack
- pancreatic
- pneumonia
- pulmonary embolism
- respiratory failure
- sepsis and stroke

According to a press release, At least 50 percent of our hospital admissions now begin with hospital emergency departments, up from 36 percent in 1996," said Dr. Rick May, a Health Grades vice president and co-author of the study,

Perhaps a proactive approach is needed for cost containment measures as more patients are expected to enter the health care market, especially over the next 5 years as our baby boomer demographic increases in population and impacting emergency departments.

Health Grades study should prove to be a valuable resource both, hospitals and patients in that it identifies hospitals as our nation's quality leaders in emergency medical care.

Are we mirroring sustainable processes and accountability?

The top 5 percent of hospitals (255) had a 39 percent lower risk-adjusted mortality rate than all of the other hospitals. States with the worst rates were Mississippi, Alabama and Hawaii; Ohio, Arizona and Michigan had the best rates (Bowmen, 2010)

Bowmen (2010) writes, some consumers may question our usefulness of this type of information in an emergent situation, consider large quality variations between hospitals. It is important for consumers to understand our hospital quality landscape and immediate area as a proative approach to emergent situations.

Can you think of areas in your health care industry that may be vulnerable to cost cutting? and why?

Can Ethics be accountable in and of itself when faced with moral vulnerabilitie s?