Contact: Joe Martin
717-232-6787 or
NEW PHC4 REPORT ON HOSPITAL PERFORMANCE SHOWS LOWER MORTALITY AND READMISSION RATES
Harrisburg, PA – October 25, 2017 – A performance report of Pennsylvania hospitals shows significant statewide decreases in hospital mortality and readmission rates. Released today by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4), the annual report, known as the Hospital Performance Report, includes hospital-specific mortality and readmission ratings as well as volume of cases and hospital charges for patients discharged from Pennsylvaniaâs general acute care hospitals between October 1, 2015 and September 30, 2016 (federal fiscal year [FFY] 2016). Statewide and regional trends were also examined.
âThis report shows that mortality and readmission rates continue to decline for a number of common treatment areas and speaks, in particular, to the commitment of Pennsylvania hospitals to provide quality care,â said Joe Martin, PHC4âs Executive Director. âAlso important are the reductions we see in the number of hospitalizations for chronic conditions such as heart failure, diabetes and COPD.â
Comparing the FFY 2016 results with data from FFY 2011, the report shows significant decreases in statewide in-hospital mortality rates for 12 of the 15 conditions for which mortality ratings were reportedâfindings that translate to an estimated 7,060 lives saved. Readmission rates fell in 11 of the 13 conditions for which readmission rates were reported, suggesting an estimated 5,669 readmissions avoided in these 11 treatment areas.
The 12 conditions showing significant declines in hospital mortality were:
- Sepsis: 15.4% to 8.8%
- Respiratory Failure: 15.9% to 9.7%
- Pneumonia â Aspiration: 8.2% to 5.4%
- Heart Attack â Medical Management: 9.1% to 7.0%
- Kidney Failure â Acute: 3.9% to 2.2%
- Colorectal Procedures: 2.6% to 1.6%
- Stroke: 4.2% to 3.2%
- Pneumonia â Infectious: 2.8% to 1.9%
- Heart Failure: 2.9% to 2.2%
- Diabetes â Medical Management: 0.7% to 0.4%
- Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections: 0.6% to 0.4%
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): 0.7% to 0.5%
None of the conditions studied showed a statistically significant increase in mortality.
The 11 conditions with significant reductions in 30-day readmission rates were:
- Sepsis: 21.4% to 17.9%
- Pneumonia â Aspiration: 24.4% to 21.0%
- Heart Failure: 26.2% to 23.8%
- Stroke: 14.6% to 12.3%
- Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections: 17.5% to 15.3%
- Respiratory Failure: 25.7% to 23.6%
- Kidney Failure â Acute: 22.7% to 20.7%
- Pneumonia â Infectious: 17.1% to 15.7%
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): 21.9% to 20.6%
- Gallbladder Removal â Laparoscopic: 7.5% to 6.5%
- Abnormal Heartbeat: 15.1% to 14.3%
None of the conditions studied showed a statistically significant increase in the rate of readmission.
PHC4 publishes the Hospital Performance Report in three regional editionsâSoutheastern Pennsylvania, Western Pennsylvania, and Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania. Copies are free and available from PHC4âs website at www.phc4.org.
PHC4 is an independent state agency charged with collecting, analyzing and reporting information that can be used to improve the quality and restrain the cost of health care in Pennsylvania.
