News for Immediate Release
December 14, 2023
Harrisburg – PHC4’s annual Hospital Performance Report (HPR), released today, shows a statistically significant decrease in statewide 30-day readmission rates from federal fiscal year (FFY) 2017 to FFY 2022 in 10 of the 17 conditions reported. The largest decrease was in Heart Attack – Medical Management, where the readmission rate decreased from 18.3% to 14.2%. However, over the same period, statewide in-hospital mortality rates showed a statistically significant increase in 11 of the 16 conditions reported. The largest increase was in Sepsis, where the mortality rate increased from 9.3% in FFY 2017 to 11.3% in FFY 2022.
Barry D. Buckingham, PHC4’s Executive Director, said “PHC4 strives to highlight and call attention to important issues, such as the increase of mortality in PA over the last 5 years.”
The report provides information about the performance of Pennsylvania general and specialty acute care hospitals. Reported are hospital-specific mortality and 30-day readmission ratings, as well as volume of cases and average hospital charges. Changes in statewide rates across time are also thoroughly examined. This report does not include children’s and some specialty hospitals, hospitals that closed or merged with other facilities, or hospitals that recently opened.
PHC4 is an independent state agency formed under Pennsylvania statute (Act 89 of 1986, as amended by Act 15 of 2020) in order to address rapidly growing health care costs. The Council continues to produce comparative information about the most efficient and effective health care to individual consumers and group purchasers of health services. In addition, PHC4 produces information used to identify opportunities to contain costs and improve the quality of care delivered.
For more information, visit phc4.org or view the full report here.
