Aren’t the hospital Process of Care Measures really for hospitals to use internally?
In an effort to help you make informed decisions about your healthcare, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) adopted a standardized set of performance measures for hospital processes of care for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical infection prevention. These measures were chosen because they are re lated to serious medical situations that may have better outcomes when the recommended processes are followed. These measures have gone through years of extensive testing for validity and reliability by CMS and the Joint Commission, and are also endorsed by the National Quality Forum (NQF). The Process of Care Measures are relatively easy for hospitals to submit for reporting to patients. Although CMS hospital reporting is voluntary, CMS provides a financial incentive for hospitals to report the quality of care data for these medical conditions by linking their reporting to the payments they receive for treating patients.
Related Questions
- For physician hand-offs, does the same process have to be used throughout the hospital. Can different specialties use different methods of communication within their call group?
- What is the process to get the permission for treatment in private hospital/cashless treatment?
- Do severity measures explain differences in length of hospital stay?
