The Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS) are expanding their quality measure reporting programs to include the public reporting of information on patients’ experiences during care and pneumonia mortality. Hospitals also will be asked to collect data on quality measures for outpatient and pediatric care. Beginning in 2008, the number of measures hospitals are to report expands to 27 measures.
New inpatient measures for public reporting in 2008 include:
- Pneumonia 30-day mortality rates (will be reported on CMS Hospital Compare June 2008).
- Pneumonia Antibiotic Timing (pneumonia initial antibiotic received within six hours of arrival (the new time from (from four hours to six hours) will be reported on CMS Hospital Compare from March 2008.
- HCAHPS: Patients’ experience of care (CAHPS Hospital Survey). Hospitals began collecting data on HCAHPS in July 2008. The results will be released on CMS Hospital Compare Web site in March 2008.
New inpatient measures for data collection in 2008 (after Jan 1, 2008), public reporting in 2009:
- Surgical Care:
- Appropriate hair removal;
- Cardiac surgery patients with control 6AM postoperative serum glucose;
- Use of relievers;
- Use of systemic corticosteroids
New outpatient measures for data collection in 2008 (beginning April 1, 2008):
- Timing of antibiotic prophylaxis;
- Selection of prophylactic antibiotic – first or second generation cephalosporin
More information on all new measures (inpatient and outpatient) to be reported in 2008 is available on the American Hospital Association Web site. A full list of all hospital quality measures currently being publicly reported is available on the CMS Hospital Compare Website