Study: Public’s interest in quality data is growing
Both patients and quality professionals using data
According to a new study, a growing number of consumers are using online hospital performance web sites to make health care decisions. In addition, providers are using publicly reported measures to make quality improvement decisions.
The study analyzed more than 50 publicly available and subscription-based online hospital performance web sites and was a joint effort between Delmarva Foundation (the QIO for Maryland and the District of Columbia) and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).
Done as part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Three State Pilot project, the study found that 20 states have at least one hospital performance web site sponsored by non-profit organizations or government agencies containing tables or bar graphs to demonstrate comparisons of providers by geographic region.
Comparative data
Quality managers are comparing their organizations both regionally and nationally, says Roxanne Rodgers, public reporting and special projects leader for the Delmarva Foundation.
"They can look at the comparative data in their own state and identify areas for quality improvement," she says. "This gives them the impetus to work smarter and more efficiently, providing better care. Hospital reporting measures are here to stay. They’re not something that’s going to go away."
The increased focus on comparative quality data is a "great opportunity" for quality professionals, says Maulik Joshi, DrPH, president and CEO of the Delmarva Foundation. "I view this as a great leverage opportunity," he says. "Quality improvement projects require not just resources but attention. Now that the board is asking about core measures — and their relatives are asking about it — it is getting that attention."
Consumers catching on
This reflects a growing trend toward openness in quality, says Joshi. "For years we’ve been talking about where we are in quality — but only internally. Providers are now finding out where they stand in the market, which is a motivating factor," says Joshi. "Nobody wants to look bad compared to their peers."
Though publicly reported data was slow to catch on with health care consumers, patients are now beginning to seek out this information. According to the study’s findings, consumers are most interested in patient satisfaction and clinical performance.
"More are starting to at least ask questions, whereas before they didn’t even know what to ask," says Joshi. "We are getting to a point where consumers are asking hard questions, and doctors are working with them to give answers."
He points to the California HealthCare Foundation’s web site "What Patients Think of California Hospitals" (www.calhospitals.org), which posts patient satisfaction data from the "California Hospital Experience Survey," asking 36,000 patients to rate their recent experience in 200 California hospitals.
Informed decisions
Although patients in emergent situations won’t be able to pick and choose which hospital they go to, many others are making informed decisions about elective procedures or long-term care for chronic medical conditions, and will be able to hand-pick the hospital of their choice, says Rodgers.
"As consumers become better informed, their expectations regarding hospital quality and delivery of care will increase," she predicts. "It’s no longer okay just to do the minimum; society expects more. When consumers buy a car, they check it out with Consumer Reports. Now, utilizing individual hospital web sites and CMS’s Hospital Compare web site, they will do the same with health care."
[For more information, contact:
- Maulik Joshi, Dr.P.H., President and CEO, Delmarva Foundation, 9240 Centreville Road, Easton, MD 21601. Telephone: (410) 763-6214. E-mail: [email protected]
- Roxanne Rodgers, Public Reporting & Special Projects Leader, Delmarva Foundation, 9240 Centreville Road, Easton, MD 21601. Telephone: (410) 763-6239. E-mail: [email protected].]
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