On April 1, 2005, hospital quality data about three illnesses that are common among people with Medicare – heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia – was made available to the public on www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov or www.medicare.gov. This is part of Medicare’s ongoing initiative to improve the quality of health care nationwide. Under the Hospital Quality Initiative, hospitals voluntarily submit quality of care information so that consumers can compare care and make better-informed decisions.

Benefits of Using the Medicare Website

Hospital quality means patients get the right medicine, treatments, or tests at the right time for their condition. It is important to know that hospitals vary in terms of their quality of care, and that hospital quality is important.

Medicare provides a tool on www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov or www.medicare.gov under the heading "Compare Hospitals in Your Area" to give consumers information about the quality of care hospitals provide.

This site provides consumers information regarding:

SCIP Process and Outcome Measures

Infection

• SCIP INF 1: Prophylactic antibiotic received within one hour prior to surgical incision
• SCIP INF 2: Prophylactic antibiotic selection for surgical patients
• SCIP INF 3: Prophylactic antibiotics discontinued within 24 hours after surgery end time (48 hours for cardiac patients)
• SCIP INF 4: Cardiac surgery patients with controlled 6 a.m. postoperative serum glucose
• SCIP INF 5: Postoperative wound infection diagnosed during index hospitalization (OUTCOME)
• SCIP INF 6: Surgery patients with appropriate hair removal
• SCIP INF 7: Colorectal surgery patients with immediate postoperative normothermia

Cardiac

• SCIP Card 1: Non-cardiac vascular surgery patients with evidence of coronary artery disease who received beta-blockers during the perioperative period
• SCIP Card 2: Surgery patients on a beta-blocker prior to arrival that received a beta-blocker during the perioperative period
• SCIP Card 3: Intra- or postoperative acute myocardial infarction (AMI) diagnosed during index hospitalization and within 30 days of surgery (OUTCOME)

VTE

• SCIP VTE 1: Surgery patients with recommended venous thromboembolism prophylaxis ordered
• SCIP VTE 2: Surgery patients who received appropriate venous thromboembolism prophylaxis within 24 hours prior to surgery to 24 hours after surgery
• SCIP VTE 3: Intra- or postoperative pulmonary embolism (PE) diagnosed during index hospitalization and within 30 days of surgery (OUTCOME)
•  SCIP VTE 4: Intra- or postoperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT) diagnosed during index hospitalization and within 30 days of surgery (OUTCOME)
• Respiratory
• SCIP Resp 1: Number of days ventilated surgery patients had documentation of the Head of the Bed (HOB) being elevated from recovery end date (day zero) through postoperative day seven.
• SCIP Resp 2: Patients diagnosed with postoperative ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) during index hospitalization (OUTCOME)
• SCIP Resp 3: Number of days ventilated surgery patients had documentation of stress ulcer disease (SUD) prophylaxis from recovery end date (day zero) through postoperative day seven.
• SCIP Resp 4: Surgery patients whose medical record contained an order for a ventilator weaning program (protocol or clinical pathway)

Other Measures

• SCIP Global 1: Mortality within 30 days of surgery
• SCIP Global 2: Readmission within 30 days of surgery
• VA 1: Proportion of permanent hospital ESRD vascular access procedures that are autogenous AV fistulas

Hospital quality information gives a good snapshot of the quality of care provided by the hospitals that volunteer to participate.

Hospital care is often unplanned. You get sick or injured and need to be in a hospital right away. But sometimes, you can plan ahead for hospital care, such as if your doctor says you need surgery. Or, if you have an illness like heart disease or high blood pressure, you know there’s a chance you may need hospital care in the future. When you can plan ahead, comparing care can help you make informed decisions.

This is one tool that can help you compare quality of care in local hospitals and make informed decisions. You should also talk to your doctor.

Data is available on www.medicare.gov or www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov (links open new windows).