News: HealthGrades report shows elevated risk of death at underperforming hospitals

HeathGrades ranks physicians’ and facilities’ quality based on data it obtains from CMS, private payers, states, state medical board records, and others on risk-adjusted mortality and in-hospital complications of care, the report states. HealthGrades is one of a handful of public quality reporting agencies which also include CMS’ HospitalCompare and The Leapfrog Group. Facilities often use these reports to benchmark quality measures and communicate performance to potential consumers.

 

According to the report, “if all Medicare patients from 2008-2010 had been treated at five-star hospitals 240,040 lives could have potentially been saved.”

 

The report also examines how consumers/patients use the HealthGrades site. In a 2010 survey which garnered more than 14,000 participants, consumers indicated that they were “very or somewhat concerned about the quality of hospital care in their community.” Roughly 40% of those participating in the survey believed that obtaining care at higher rated facilities could reduce their risk of complication or death.