SUMMARY: We’re always interested in measuring quality in health care. Cost isn’t the only factor you want to consider, but it’s tough to find good quality measurements that are actionable — things you can use to make a decision.
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services “recently announced it has added several hospital quality measures to its Hospital Compare website, including measures of stroke and blood clot care, HealthLeaders Media reports.
“In 2005, CMS began posting quality ratings for more than 3,000 U.S. hospitals on its Hospital Compare website. … The site first included data on adherence to basic clinical care guidelines and later expanded to include additional information, such as patient experience scores, readmission rates, mortality rates and complication rates. …
“According to CMS, the website now will track additional measures under the heading of ‘timely and effective care,’ including:
- Three new measures of blood clot prevention care;
- Eight new indicators of stroke care quality;
- Rates of C. diff and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections; and
- Rates of medically unnecessary newborn deliveries scheduled between one to three weeks early
via CMS Updates Hospital Compare Website With New Quality Measures – iHealthBeat.