ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The data Medicare uses to publicly report hospital rates of patients developing pressure ulcers (or bedsores) is not an accurate source for comparing hospitals on how well they prevent the condition, says a new University of Michigan study.
Bedsores are skin wounds often caused by pressure against the skin when staying in one position for too long. They are among many common hospital-acquired conditions Medicare’s Hospital Compare website reports in an effort to help consumers compare the quality of their care at different hospitals. Hospital bedsore rates varied widely based on how the data was collected, unfairly making some hospitals appear to fare better or worse than others, according to the findings that appear in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Study finds Medicare’s data source for reporting rates of pressure ulcers acquired during hospital stays not an accurate tool for comparing hospital quality
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