Pennsylvania Health Care Alliance Launches Web Site Providing Quality-of-Care Information For State Hospitals

Main Category: IT / Internet / E-mail
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 20 Mar 2008 - 9:00 PDT

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The Pennsylvania Health Care Quality Alliance on Wednesday launched a Web site that provides consumers with quality measures for different hospitals in the hope of helping them make more informed health care choices, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (Fahy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3/19).

The site includes quality information for state hospitals on treatment of heart attacks, heart failure, pneumonia and hospital-acquired infections during a certain year. According to the alliance, the four categories were chosen first because they are the most common and costly illnesses for hospitals to treat (Loviglio, AP/Contra Costa Times, 3/19). The data are derived from several sources, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council and the Joint Commission, the Post-Gazette reports (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3/19).

Site users are able to compare performance and outcomes for all 162 primary acute care hospitals in the state against other hospitals. They also can compare a hospital's performance against state and national averages. Data on the site generally will date back two years from the most recent available, but the site will be updated quarterly with recent statistics, according to PHCQA Executive Director Erik Muther.

According to the group, the site allows state residents to make more informed decisions about where to receive care, and such transparency will increase competition among providers, resulting in better quality and lower costs. Gerald Miller, retired CEO of Crozer-Keystone Health System, said, "While hospital quality data has become more available on the Internet, consumers are at a disadvantage when they must search out multiple sites, each with its own measurement standards" (AP/Contra Costa Times, 3/19).

Muther said PHCQA is accepting input from consumers and health professionals regarding how the site can be more useful, According to the Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3/19). About eight to 10 states have similar Web sites for consumers, according to Muther (AP/Contra Costa Times, 3/19).

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