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MA Web site produces rift between state, hospitals

Quality Improvement Monitor, October 28, 2005

A public Web site comparing the quality of care among Massachusetts hospitals has sparked some debate between the state government and some hospitals, The Boston Globe reported October 24.

The Web site, http://www.mass.gov/healthcareqc, lists whether each hospital in the state has high, average, or low patient mortality rates for stroke, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, heart disease, pneumonia, and hip fractures. The state uses federal quality data to compile statistics, the Globe reported.

Gregg Meyer, MD, an internist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston told the newspaper the data used is imperfect because it is meant for internal hospital improvements, not public comparison.

State officials told the Globe that relying on hospitals to improve on their own has produced marginal results, and public disclosure should help push quality improvement further along. The state allows hospitals to comment on their results as posted on the Web site.

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