State Unveils Data on Inpatient Mortality at California Hospitals
Most hospitals in California received average scores on inpatient mortality rates for most conditions studied, according to a recent report from California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, the Contra Costa Times reports (Kleffman, Contra Costa Times, 1/6).
The study examines risk-adjusted mortality rates, total deaths and quality ratings for 12 conditions and procedures at hundreds of California hospitals. The report breaks down the data into 2008 and 2009 findings (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 12/30/10).
Key Findings
According to the study, Individual hospitals that ranked "worse" than the statewide mortality rate on a condition or procedure in 2008 were five times more likely to rank "worse" for the same indicator in 2009. Hospitals that ranked "better" in 2008 were six times more likely to receive a similar score in 2009 (Clark, HealthLeaders Media, 1/6).
Of the 335 hospitals included in the 2009 findings:
- 119 hospitals ranked "better" than the statewide mortality rate on at least one factor;
- 64 hospitals ranked "worse" than the statewide mortality rate on at least one factor, including 11 that ranked "worse" on two indicators and three hospitals that ranked "worse" on three indicators; and
- Fewer than 12 hospitals received mixed scores, ranking "better" on one indicator and "worse" on another (Sacramento Business Journal, 12/30/10).
Recommendations
Joe Parker -- primary author of the study and director of the Healthcare Outcomes Center at OSHPD -- said hospitals seeking to improve their inpatient mortality rates should review records to identify potential issues related to patient care (HealthLeaders Media, 1/6).
Parker also said, "We hope that the hospitals will look at this data because for most of them, it's the only opportunity for them to benchmark their performance against all California hospitals" (Contra Costa Times, 1/6).
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