Colorado Launches Web-Based Hospital Comparison Tool

Main Category: Public Health
Also Included In: IT / Internet / E-mail
Article Date: 04 Dec 2007 - 7:00 PDT

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Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) and several colleagues on Wednesday in a ceremony at Denver Health Medical Center unveiled a Web-based tool that provides hospital performance data, the Denver Post reports. The Colorado Hospital Report Card includes measures of mortality rates for 11 procedures, three measures of patient safety and data on volume of 10 different procedures performed at each hospital in the state.

Fewer than a dozen states have collected similar hospital data, according to Colorado Hospital Association spokesperson Richard Haugh. The Post reports that "Wisconsin has been recognized as a leader in providing hospital data for consumers." Dana Richardson, vice president for quality at the Wisconsin Hospital Association, said consumers have used the information less than expected, but hospitals are using the data to compare themselves to one another and health insurers have begun using the data to link reimbursements to quality standards (Human, Denver Post, 11/28).

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