Autumn Years Spring 2024

HEALTH & WELFARE

Does Your Hospital Make the Grade? By Robin Frank

When faced with a serious illness or the

need for life-saving surgery, choosing

a hospital could be the most important

decision you will ever make. For routine

medical treatment or elective surgery,

where you go also matters. I n 2022, a report from the U.S. Depart ment of Health and Human Services found that one in four older Ameri cans experienced patient harm during a hospital stay. The statistics include both temporary and permanent harm that pa tients suffered in October 2018, before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not always easy for consumers to discern which hospitals are high quality, according to Catherine MacLean, MD, PhD, Chief Value Medical Officer at Hos pital for Special Surgery (HSS). Individu als may ask their doctor, family members or friends for advice or a recommenda tion. Once someone chooses a specialist for surgery or treatment, the physician’s hospital affiliation is an important consideration. Most patients will want to ensure that a hospital and doctor are covered under their health insurance. Individuals may check websites that rate hospitals and health care providers, but the subjective information on these sites may not be reliable. It may even be fake. Companies have sprung up with questionable rating methods, and health care providers can pay to be listed.

complications, infection rates and how often patients need to be readmitted to the hospital. Hospital performance in these categories leads to an overall Qual ity rating from one to five stars. The Care Compare website also features information about a patient’s personal experience in the hospital based on a questionnaire distributed by a CMS-approved third party. After discharge, patients answer questions on how well doctors and nurses com municated with them; staff responsive ness; hospital cleanliness; noise level; discharge information and other aspects of their stay. Based on these surveys, the hospital receives a Patient Experience rating of one to five stars.

Finding objective rating information Objective, credible information on hospital performance is available, notes Dr. MacLean, on a government website called Care Compare (www.cms.gov/ medicare/quality/physician-compare initiative). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) collects data that consumers can review about the quality of health care at more than 4,000 Medicare-certified hospitals across the country. Performance is evaluated based on information that hospitals are required to report on treatment for various condi tions and surgical outcomes. CMS evalu ates care to the extent that it is effec tive, safe and timely. Data is compiled on

18 AUTUMN YEARS I SPRING 2024