Changes in hospital-acquired conditions, mortality after HACRP

Editor's Note

In this study, researchers from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, find that hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) targeted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP) declined after the program was announced, but 30-day mortality was unchanged.

The analysis included 8,857,877 Medicare beneficiaries who had surgical procedures and were discharged between January 2009 and August 2015.

Before the Affordable Care Act (ACA), patients experienced HACs at a rate of 13.39 per 1,000 discharges. This rate declined after ACA passed, and it declined further after HACRP was announced.

Adjusted 30-day postoperative mortality, which was 3.69 pre-ACA, declined post-ACA but was flat after HACRP.

HACRP reduces Medicare payments by 1% for hospitals in the lowest performance quartile—performance measures are focused on postoperative care.