Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1013333
22 QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT State-by-state breakdown of hospital admission rates By Alyssa Rege T he Kaiser Family Foundation com- piled a state-by-state breakdown of hospital admission rates per 1,000 population from 1999 through 2016 for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. KFF compiled the data using the results of the 1999-2016 American Hospital Association Sur vey. Here is a breakdown of hospital admission rates for all states and Washington, D.C., ranked from most admissions to least: 1. Washington, D.C. — 186 2. West Virginia — 138 3. Alabama — 130 4. Mississippi — 127 5. Kentucky — 126 6. Missouri — 126 7. Tennessee — 124 8. Florida — 123 9. Ohio — 123 10. Pennsylvania — 123 11. North Dakota — 120 12. Arkansas — 118 13. Louisiana — 117 14. Michigan — 117 15. South Dakota — 117 16. New York — 115 17. Massachusetts — 112 18. New Jersey — 111 19. Rhode Island — 110 20. Illinois — 107 21. Delaware — 106 22. South Carolina — 106 23. Connecticut — 105 24. Kansas — 103 25. Maine — 102 26. Indiana — 101 27. Nebraska — 101 28. Oklahoma — 101 29. Iowa — 100 30. Minnesota — 99 31. North Carolina — 99 32. Maryland — 97 33. Georgia — 95 34. New Hampshire — 94 35. Virginia — 94 36. Nevada — 92 37. Texas — 92 38. Wisconsin — 92 39. Arizona — 90 40. Montana — 89 41. New Mexico — 85 42. California — 84 43. Oregon — 82 44. Washington — 81 45. Vermont — 80 46. Utah — 78 47. Colorado — 77 48. Hawaii — 77 49. Idaho — 77 50. Wyoming — 70 51. Alaska — 69 n CMS postpones July hospital star ratings update By Megan Knowles C MS did not update the Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings on its Hospital Compare website in July — marking the second consecutive year the agency postponed the midsummer update, the American Hospital Association reported. A revised date or timeline for the next star ratings update was not included in the report. "CMS has decided to postpone the July star ratings update to give time for additional analysis of the impact of changes to some of the measures on the star ratings and to address stakeholder concerns," the agency said. "When changes are made to the underlying measures it is vital to take the time needed to understand the impact of those changes and en- sure we are giving consumers the most useful information." CMS said it will gather feedback on the star ratings from a panel of multidisciplinary technical experts, a provider leadership workgroup and the public. The decision marks several recent instances CMS chose to postpone these updates, including a delay to its scheduled October 2017 update, which came after the agency decid- ed not to update the ratings in July 2017. The agency cancelled the July 2017 update due to issues involving several quality measures, including central line-associated bloodstream infections and Clostridium difficile infections. After the five-month delay, CMS last updated the ratings on December 21, 2017. The AHA has previously raised questions to the agency about the data included in the star ratings preview reports, and supported the agency's decision to postpone its next update. "CMS made the right call in postponing the July update of star ratings, and we appreciate the agency allowing more time for a fuller analysis of its methodology and measures and to hear from stakeholders, including hospitals and health systems, about concerns found in many preview reports," said AHA Executive Vice President Tom Nickels. n