It’s not just the cost information that’s unavailable in the health-care marketplace — it’s also quality information.
So I was excited to see this wonky paper about cardiology outcomes. Called “Percutaneous Coronary Interventions in New York State 2008-2010,” it measures and catalogs frequency of angioplasty in New York hospitals, not just by hospital but also by provider. The report analyzes the number of cases, the outcomes, mortality rates and expected mortality rates as judged by New York State hospital demographics.
If you were looking for a provider, this would be the place to look. Here’s the link to the report. Take a look at an excerpt, the chart below.
You’ve heard us say many times that cost alone means nothing, and quality alone means nothing. Cost plus quality equals value, and value is important anywhere — especially in health care.
“The report provides data on risk factors associated with in-hospital/30-day mortality following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI, also known as angioplasty) and lists hospital and physician-specific mortality rates,” the report says. “The analyses use a risk-adjustment process to account for pre-existing differences in patients’ health statuses. This report includes information on mortality occurring in the same hospitalization as PCI and that which occurs outside the hospital but within 30 days following PCI. We believe this to be an important quality indicator that will provide useful information to patients and providers.”
“The goal of the Department of Health and the Cardiac Advisory Committee is to improve the quality of care in relation to cardiac surgery and angioplasty in NYS. Providing the hospitals, cardiac surgeons (who perform cardiac surgery)and cardiologists (who perform PCI) in NYS with data about their own outcomes for these procedures allows them to examine the quality of their own care and to identify opportunities to improve that care.”
