Better hospital financial performance not linked to better outcomes

Editor's Note

How well a hospital performs financially is not associated with improved clinical outcomes, this study finds.

Researchers examined the association between financial performance for nearly 280 hospitals against their 30-day mortality and readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and pneumonia.

The findings suggest that hospitals that are financially well off do not necessarily do better on patient outcomes than hospitals with worse financial performance, the authors say.

Robust financial performance is not associated with improved publicly reported outcomes for AMI, CHF, and PNA. Financial incentives in addition to public reporting, such as readmissions penalties, may help motivate hospitals with robust financial performance to further improve publicly reported outcomes. Reassuringly, improved mortality and readmission rates do not necessarily lead to loss of revenue.