Pennsylvania Health Care Quality Alliance Website Consolidates Hospital Outcome and Quality Data
Patients will have an easier time finding outcome and quality data for Pennsylvania’s hospitals now that the Pennsylvania Health Care Quality Alliance (PHCQA) has begun compiling this data on its website. The Pennsylvania Medical Society is a partner in the alliance.
Hospital quality data was already available on the Internet but was reported on different websites that used different measures. A quarterly report on PHCQA’s new website will consolidate data on four quality measures that hospitals report to the Joint Commission, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council.
The report includes some of the most common and costly conditions treated in hospitals:
- Heart attack
- Heart failure
- Pneumonia
- Prevention of health care associated infections
PHCQA—a statewide coalition of the Society, hospitals, insurers, and others—is dedicated to developing a consistent and uniform approach to data collection that makes it easier for consumers to access, understand, and use the data.
Daniel J. Glunk, MD, president-elect of the Society, is a member of PHCQA’s board and participates on its methods and measures committee, which created the report.
“Pennsylvania’s physicians support the sharing of this information,” said Dr. Glunk. “Measuring outcomes and sharing results encourages improvement. While many factors influence where a patient goes for care, we want all citizens of the state and their caregivers to have access to information that can help them make better health care decisions.”
PHCQA plans to expand the report in the future to include more quality measures.
Last Updated: 3/19/2008