Quality & Patient Safety

In 2002 the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) was created to promote reporting on the quality of care provided by hospitals. The HQA measures were reported on a web site called Hospital Compare. Since this time quality measures that are reported to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has evolved based on evidence based research. Measures such as patient experience and processes of care are reported to CMS and are still available to the public through Hospital Compare.

Quality Process Measures

Quality of hospital care can take on many meanings. It may mean that there was a successful outcome (e.g., a patient survived a heart attack or was cured of pneumonia) or it may mean that a patient was satisfied with their stay in the hospital and that they thought they were treated well. Process measures are another way to measure quality of care. A process measure determines if a patient was given a needed medicine, treatment, or diagnostic test at the right time. Through extensive research, national guidelines have been established for the recommended care of patients with various medical conditions. Common medical conditions that have been broadly studied are heart attacks, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. It is very common for adults to be in the hospital to receive treatment for one of these reasons. Getting the recommended care means you are more likely to have better outcomes.