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News: Healthgrades report urges consumers to focus on quality, performance

CDI Strategies, November 25, 2015

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Consumers need to focus on quality scores and performance metrics when selecting a hospital or physician, says a new report released by Healthgrades.

Since 2011, one in six Medicare patients got their care from a hospital that had earned a one-star designation from Healthgrades, according to the Healthgrades 2016 Report to the Nation.

When compared with one-star hospitals, which have higher risk-adjusted complication and mortality rates, the report reveals patients at hospitals with a five-star rating have a 71% lower chance of dying, and a 65% lower chance of experiencing complications during their stay. If all hospitals met the five-star ranking, more than 222,000 lives potentially could have been saved since 2011, according to the report.

Healthgrades based its hospital ratings on approximately 45 million Medicare patient records for nearly 4,500 short-term, acute care hospitals nationwide. It assessed the hospitals' performance relative to common in-hospital conditions and procedures for the Medicare population.

Adjusted risk factors include age, gender, procedure performed, and comorbid conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. The outcomes reflect clinically based measures, including in-hospital complications or in-hospital and 30-day post-admission mortality. Patients also have the option to submit their own hospital or physician reviews on the site.

As organizations like Healthgrades help consumers make more informed healthcare decisions, CDI specialists have a responsibility to ensure the documentation for each patient reflects the most accurate picture possible. Good documentation will, in turn, result in better performance scores.

CDI professionals should also use scores, like those Healthgrades provides, to their advantage to motivate staff and physicians to engage with CDI, and to target educational efforts.

Editor’s Note:  This article was originally published by HealthLeaders Media. Click here to read more.

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