Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #104150

Mary Laschober, PhD¹, Myles Maxfield, PhD¹, and David Miranda, PhD². (1) Mathematica Policy Research, 600 Maryland Ave SW, Suite 550, Washington, D.C., DC 20024, 202-554-7572, mlaschober@mathematica-mpr.com, (2) Center for Beneficiary Choices, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21244

Research Objective: This study assesses impact on the quality of inpatient healthcare of the Hospital Quality Alliance, a program sponsored by three national hospital associations that reports indicators of the quality of healthcare provided by U.S. hospitals.

Study Design: Telephone survey of a representative national sample of 560 acute-care hospitals.

Population Studied: Chief medical officers and directors of quality improvement departments at short-stay, acute-care hospitals in the U.S.

Principal Findings: Based on preliminary evidence, we anticipate the primary effects of the HQA are to give QI programs greater visibility, stimulate QI programs related to pneumonia, and develop internal QI reporting systems for physicians. Some hospitals are diverting attention from other clinical areas to focus on those covered by the HQA. There is little impact on clinical areas already covered by JCAHO quality measures. Conclusions: Public reporting on the quality of care at hospitals, at least when presented in a manner that can be understood by the average consumer, appears to have a direct impact on the behavior of hospital staff. That is, hospitals increase their QI activities in response to public reporting and apparently not in response to feedback from consumers and physicians about those public reports.

Implications for Policy, Delivery or Practice: Organizations operating systems for the public reporting of quality indicators should consider designing such systems for the direct use by hospital boards, management, and QI departments.

Primary Funding Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Learning Objectives:

• By the end of the presentation, the audience hospital management and staff shoudl know how to make the better use of quality inidicators, and public reporting programs should know how to better design their reports.

Keywords: Quality Improvement, Report Card

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation