Pneumonia Care Outcomes
What are we measuring?
30-day Mortality Rate
The percentage of patients who died within 30 days of being admitted for pneumonia care at BIDMC. Patients may have died while in the hospital or after they were discharged from BIDMC. The cause of patient death may have been related to the pneumonia or may have been due to an unrelated cause of death.
30-Day Readmission Rate
The percentage of patients who are re-admitted to a hospital within 30 days of being admitted for pneumonia care at BIDMC. The re-admission may have been planned as part of follow-up care, or unplanned at the time of hospital discharge. Unplanned readmissions may have been due to a condition related to the pneumonia, or may have been due to an unrelated condition. Re-admission to the hospital may or may not have been avoidable by measures taken before the patient was discharged from the hospital.
Why is this important?
We continuously strive to deliver the best outcomes for our patients admitted to BIDMC for pneumonia care. 30-day Mortality Rates and 30-Day Readmission Rates are two measures related to the quality of care provided to patients while hospitalized, during the discharge planning process, and in the transition of care after hospitalization. Our goal is to keep 30-day mortality rates as low as possible, and prevent avoidable rehospitalizations after discharge.
What is our performance telling us?
The charts below show how BIDMC's performance compares to the US National Rates for 30-Day Mortality and 30-Day Readmission. One indicator of how well a hospital is doing is whether hospital mortality and readmission rates are lower (better) than the U.S. National rate, about the same as the U.S. National rate, or higher (worse) than the U.S. National rate, given how sick they were when they were admitted to the hospital
Source of comparison data: HospitalCompare (www.HospitalCompare.hhs.gov), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, October, 2012.
According to HospitalCompare, during the period from July 2008 through June 2011, 12.0% of patients nation-wide who were treated and discharged for acute pneumonia died within 30-days of their original discharge. At BIDMC, 8.4% of patients treated for pneumonia died within 30-days of their original discharge. BIDMC's rate is better than the U.S. National average.
Source of comparison data: HospitalCompare (www.HospitalCompare.hhs.gov), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, October, 2012.
According to HospitalCompare, during the same period (July 2008 through June 2011), 18.5% of patients nation-wide who were treated and discharged for pneumonia were readmitted to a hospital within 30-days of their original discharge. At BIDMC, 21.69% of patients treated for pneumonia were readmitted to a hospital within 30-days of their original discharge. BIDMC's rate is worse than the U.S. National average.
What are we doing to improve our performance?
Reducing avoidable readmissions-those unplanned readmissions that could have been prevented - is a priority at BIDMC.
Readmissions may reflect a breakdown in coordination of care after a patient leaves the hospital. To improve care coordination after discharge, BIDMC has initiated a workgroup called the Cross Continuum Care Coordination Team to identify new approaches to ensuring effective transitions and follow-up after our patients leave the hospital. Our Team includes patients, family members, and representatives from primary care practices, VNA and home care agencies, skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities, elder services, payers, and community service organizations. The Team meets monthly to share best practices, review improvement opportunities, and develop more effective care transition processes.
In BIDMC's largest primary care practice, Health Care Associates, HCA nurses meet with patients during their hospitalization and coordinate the patient's care for 30 days after the patient is leaves the hospital. A Pharmacist is also available to address complex medication issues, and a Care Transitions Coach provides additional support to help patients successfully follow discharge instructions and embrace actions to promote health.
Other useful specific services measures:
Last updated: October 15, 2012