CMS adds new measures to compare hospitals on care quality
The new outcome measures are for inpatient rehabilitation facilities and long-term hospital stays.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Tuesday added new measures to its compare websites for inpatient rehabilitation facilities and long-term hospital stays.
CMS' compare sites list the data for healthcare professionals and the public to view the quality of care by each provider.
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The agency added measures on the percent of patients who are given the seasonal influenza vaccine and the percent of healthcare personnel who have been vaccinated for the flu for both inpatient rehabilitation and long-term care.
There is a new outcome measure for the facility onset of Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, a bacterial infection estimated to have a mortality rate of 20 to 40 percent among patients who do not respond to the Methicillin antibiotic.
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Another measure looks at the outcomes for clostridium difficile infection, or CDI, a life-threatening condition particularly for the elderly, causing diarrhea and colitis.
Already listed on the inpatient rehab compare site are measures on the percent of patients with pressure ulcers that are new or worsened, catheter associated urinary tract infections and an all-causes 30 day post discharge readmission measure.
For hospital long-term stays, the outcome measures already listed are for catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central line-associated bloodstream infections and for an all-causes unplanned readmission measure for 30 days post-discharge.
The new measures take effect immediately.
Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: susan.morse@himssmedia.com
