Medicare Unveils New Online Patient Safety Ratings for Hospitals - California Healthline (10/18/2011)
"...Medicare officials last week began publishing patient safety ratings for hospitals across the U.S. on CMS' Hospital Compare website, Kaiser Health News/MSNBC reports.
The data evaluate hospitals based on rates of surgical complications, infections, medical errors and potentially avoidable deaths. The website compares hospitals' ratings with national averages for medical complications and hospital-acquired conditions.
The ratings are part of an initiative mandated by the federal health reform law in which hospitals with the lowest quality ratings will receive lower Medicare reimbursements.
Patient Safety Advocates Commend Ratings
Patient safety advocates have praised the ratings.
Rosemary Gibson -- the editor of a series of articles on overtreatment in the Archives of Internal Medicine -- said, "This is pulling the curtain back on preventable health care harm to older Americans." She added, "These are really good things to know."
The data evaluate hospitals based on rates of surgical complications, infections, medical errors and potentially avoidable deaths. The website compares hospitals' ratings with national averages for medical complications and hospital-acquired conditions.
The ratings are part of an initiative mandated by the federal health reform law in which hospitals with the lowest quality ratings will receive lower Medicare reimbursements.
Patient Safety Advocates Commend Ratings
Patient safety advocates have praised the ratings.
Rosemary Gibson -- the editor of a series of articles on overtreatment in the Archives of Internal Medicine -- said, "This is pulling the curtain back on preventable health care harm to older Americans." She added, "These are really good things to know."
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