Magnet hospitals associated with better patient experience
Editor's Note Magnet recognition is associated with better patient care experiences, which may enhance reimbursement for hospitals, this study finds. Nurse researchers compared 212 Magnet hospitals with 212 non-Magnet hospitals. Patients in Magnet hospitals gave their hospitals higher overall ratings, were more likely to recommend their hospitals, and reported more positive…
Achieving quality improvement depends on the local culture
The key to sustaining quality outcomes is promoting confidence and engagement of surgical teams, says Clifford Ko, MD, MS, MSHS, FACS, director of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program and Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care, at the American College of Surgeons in Chicago. Dr Ko gave the keynote…
Implementation of integrated recovery pathway quickly improves outcomes
Editor's Note A trust-based accountability model that included senior hospital leadership and frontline providers provided an enabling structure to rapidly implement an integrated recovery pathway and quickly improve outcomes, value, and experience of colorectal surgical patients, in this study. The pathway included preoperative education, mechanical bowel preparation with oral antibiotics,…
Editorial
The French proverb, “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” is one way to view the readmission penalties imposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). About a year ago, a Kaiser Health News report said more than 2,600 hospitals in fiscal year 2015 were…
Quality reports to determine pay rise or fall
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) that have yet to register and report compliance with quality measures can expect a decrease of 0.9% in 2016 from this year’s Medicare reimbursement rates. Those in compliance, however, may see an increase of approximately 1.1%, depending on specialties. As in the past, the Centers for…
Variation in surgical readmissions mostly patient related
Editor's Note Postoperative readmissions occurred in more than 1 in 10 patients, in this study, with considerable variation across specialties. The majority of variation was attributable to patient-related factors (82.8%); surgical specialty accounted for 14.5% of the variability, and individual surgeon factors accounted for 2.8%. After adjusting for patient and…
Effect of professional guidelines on preop testing
Editor's Note The release of 2002 guidelines on preoperative testing by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, American College of Cardiology, and American Heart Association was associated with a reduction in routine ECG testing but not of x-rays, hematocrit, urinalysis, or cardiac stress testing, in this study. Because routine preoperative testing…
CMS extends ASC quality measure deadline until September 30
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has extended the deadline for submitting data for the Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality Reporting Program until September 30, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association reports. This applies to the claims-based measures submitted via QualityNet and the Centers for Disease Control and…
Characteristics of hospitals penalized in HAC reduction program
Editor's Note Among hospitals participating in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program, those penalized the most had more quality accreditations, offered more advanced services, were major teaching institutions, and had better performance on other process and outcome measures. The findings suggest that the approach CMS…
Potholes, speed bumps on road to quality reporting
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are moving forward with quality reporting, adding a series of new measures this year while continuing to build a national database of performance levels on earlier measures. Now that they have experience with reporting safe surgery checklist use (ASC 6) and volume of selected procedures (ASC…
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