Free Essay on the Hospital Compare Website: Performance Measurement Summary

For many decades, health has been an essential entity for every living thing. To survive or live longer one has to have active health record. As a result, health can be defined as the ability of a biological entity to utilize maximum efficiency by acquiring, converting, allocating, and distributing energy. Nevertheless, it is because of these reasons that being healthy is essential to every human being in the world. Also, being healthy also has benefits such as disease prevention among other examples. It is, however, important to note that even though one may observe the rules of getting or being healthy such as eating a balanced diet, working out and drinking lots of water among other examples- a person can still fall sick. In return, this brought about healthcare, as we now know it today. Healthcare, on the other hand, is the maintenance of health through illness, injury, and disease treatment as well as diagnosis plus prevention. It is understood that licensed medical practitioner depending on the medical profession only practices these services.

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Healthcare, however, varies across communities, individuals, and countries among other examples. Nonetheless, in the United States, health care varies from state to state as well as hospital to hospital. The reason for this can be accredited to political, economic, and social factors that play a big role, especially in public hospitals. In the United States, health care is one of the most expensive services. As a result, it is also one of the most supervised industries in America as it contributes significantly to the country's economy. In return, hospitals in America are vigorously scrutinized to find out the best hospital that offers quality medical services to its patients and in time. Most of the data, however, are dependent on the patients experience either in an in or outpatient scenario. (Halasyamani, 2007) Due to this, a hospital compare consumer-oriented website was launched to provide relevant information regarding efficiency and effectiveness of the patient's health care. The information or data collected assists, consumers, or patients, to make accurate decisions when it comes to choosing a suitable hospital for his or her condition. The hospital compares grants customers an option of up to three hospitals to compare from. In addition, it also provides performance measure information related surgery, heart attack, pneumonia, and heart failure among other examples. It is, however, important to note that the results of comparisons are organized by the General data, patient survey experiences, complications, medical imaging, effective plus timely care, as well as payment and care value. Created with the joint efforts of the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) and Medicare; the hospital compare was established in December 2002 to improve health care through information (Aiken et al, 2012). Nowadays, since its establishment, blog updates and measures are being displayed gradually on the site. As a result, the site has proven to be effectively helpful to patients as new data is collected every day. In addition, according to the data collected it was discovered that many people made informed choices that literally saved their lives. The site has also made hospitals rise up to the occasion of providing quality healthcare services to their patients to attain good rating marks than other hospitals.

An excellent example to illustrate how the Hospital Compare works; can be demonstrated by comparing Harlem hospital center with Bronx-Lebanon hospital center plus Lincoln medical and mental health center. In the context of the comparison performance information, one way the results can be organized is through patient survey experiences. For instance, according to the patient experience data summary of the three mentioned hospitals; Harlem hospital nurse communication was 68 percent. Lincoln medical and mental health center was 66 percent while Bronx-Lebanon was 68 percent. In that order, the doctor communication was 75%, 73%, and 76% percent respectively. Patient assistance was rated 48 percent, 73%, and 76 percent respectively (Jha et al. 2005). No hospitals patient pain control was deemed applicable. Harlem hospital staff medication advice stood at 55 percent while Lincoln Medical at 51 percent and 53 percent to Bronx-Lebanon Hospital. Clean rooms were given 70, 65, and 65 respectively. Quietness at night in Harlem was 55 percent while at Lincoln it was 50 and finally Bronx-Lebanon with 55 percent. How patients understood the doctor's advice before being discharged was at 41, 42, and 47 respectively. With above-collected data, the total patient rating of Harlem hospital center was 41 percent. Lincoln Medical was 53 percent as well as Bronx-Lebanon Hospital (Halasyamani, 2007). Regarding the patient recommendation, Harlem scored 52 percent while Lincoln medical plus Bronx-Lebanon hospital centers score 53 percent.

Equally, results are organized through timely and effective care. For example, in consideration of two conditions of colonoscopy and preventive care, data can be displayed easily. Harlem hospital for instance, in context with colonoscopy, scored an 89 percent in the patient screening recommendation. Lincoln Medical scored a 97 percent on the recommendation while Bronx-Lebanon hospital scored a perfect 100 percent. In receiving colonoscopy follow-up, all hospitals were awarded 100 percent by their patients (Aiken et al. 2012). Preventive care, on the other hand, scored a 97 percent at influenza vaccination and patient assessment. On the same preventive care in Lincoln was awarded 98 percent while Bronx-Lebanon got 100 percent. Health workers influenza vaccination in Harlem was 86 percent while Lincoln got 88 and Bronx-Lebanon got 85 percent respectively.

Another way results can be organized through the readmissions, complications, as well as deaths. As a result, in Harlem Hospital center the Central line-associated bloodstream infections in Intensive care unit and select wards were found to be similar to the National Benchmark. In the same CLABSI, readmissions in Lincoln medical plus Bronx-Lebanon was also found to resemble National benchmarks (Aiken et al. 2012). The Catheter-associated urinary tract infection in intensive care unit plus select wards was deemed similar to the National Benchmark by patients who received health care from Harlem Hospital. Lincoln medical plus Bronx-Lebanon was both found to be better than the National Benchmark. Colon surgical site infection surgery was not available in Harlem. However, in Lincoln and Bronx-Lebanon hospitals, they both resembled the National Benchmarks. MRSA blood infection readmission was similar to the National Benchmark and applied to all three hospitals. C. Diff intestinal infection readmission resembled the National Benchmark in Harlem (Jha et al. 2005). The rest of the two hospitals recorded it was similar to the National Benchmark.

In complications, the hip or knee replacement was not available in Harlem. However, minute cases were recorded in Lincoln and Bronx-Lebanon Hospitals. Serious complications resembled National value in all hospitals. Deaths resulting from complications also had few cases in all three hospitals.

In conclusion, the COPD death rate was found to resemble the National Rate in Harlem, Lincoln and Bronx-Lebanon hospitals. The heart attack death rate was low in Harlem. However, for the two other hospitals, the rate resembled the National Rate. In addition, the heart failure death rate resembled the National rate respectively. The Pneumonia death rates also resembled the National rate. Stroke patients resembled National rate to all hospitals while CABG surgery patients were not available in all hospitals. The Hospital compares, therefore, is an efficient and effective tool when comparing to find the ideal hospital for a specific patient`s condition.

References

Aiken, L. H., Sermeus, W., Van den Heede, K., Sloane, D. M., Busse, R., McKee, M., ... & Tishelman, C. (2012). Patient safety, satisfaction, and quality of hospital care: cross sectional surveys of nurses and patients in 12 countries in Europe and the United States. Bmj, 344, e1717.

Halasyamani, L. K., & Davis, M. M. (2007). Conflicting measures of hospital quality: ratings from "Hospital Compare" versus "Best Hospitals". Journal of Hospital Medicine, 2(3), 128-134.

Jha, A. K., Li, Z., Orav, E. J., & Epstein, A. M. (2005). Care in US hospitals-the Hospital Quality Alliance program. New England Journal of Medicine, 353(3), 265-274.