Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

20 QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT Deaths linked to medical treatment have fallen in last 25 years By Megan Knowles M ortality associated with the adverse effects of medical treat- ment has decreased modestly in the last 25 years, researchers report in JAMA Network Open. e researchers used data from 1990 through 2016 on mortality related to the adverse effects of medical treatment from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2016 study. e researchers attributed 123,603 deaths to adverse effects of medical treatment for the study period. e age-standardized mortality rate for deaths due to adverse effects of medical treatment decreased by 21 percent between 1990 and 2016, the study found. e study authors found similar mortality rates for men when com- pared to women. However, the researchers found a significant increase in mortality rates for patients aged 70 and older. n How this New York hospital cut postoperative blood clots in half By Mackenzie Bean N ew York City-based NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi achieved a 53 percent reduction in deep vein blood clot cases in one year by implementing new postsurgical care protocols. NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi implemented the protocols in October 2016, which included the following interventions: • A risk assessment to identify surgery patients at high-risk for clots • Use of intermittent pneumatic compression device or stockings before and aer surgery • Use of prophylactic drugs, like heparin, to prevent clots • One-on-one consultations with all at-risk patients to educate them about blood clot risk factors and warning signs In the first year aer implementing the new care protocol, the hos- pital saw six deep vein blood clot cases, compared to 13 a year prior. In the program's second year, the hospital reported just four cases. Patient safety satisfaction scores also improved 83 percent in the program's first year, according to Press Ganey data. n Hospital-acquired conditions dropped nearly 1 million from 2014 -17 By Megan Knowles H ospital-acquired conditions fell by an estimated 910,000 from 2014-17, according to data released by CMS and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. These reductions helped prevent about 20,500 hospital deaths and saved $7.7 billion in healthcare costs during the three-year period, an analysis found. The analysis quantified trends for several hospital-acquired conditions, such as adverse drug events, catheter-associat- ed urinary tract infections, pressure ulcers and surgical site infections. The analysis found patient harm declined in several cat- egories, such as adverse drug events, which dropped 28 percent between 2014-17. Pressure ulcers, however, was a category still in need of improvement. "CMS is delivering on improving quality and safety at Amer- ica's hospitals," said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. "Our work isn't done, and we will continue our efforts to hold providers accountable for delivering results." n US News 'Best Hospitals' rankings to incorporate HCAHPS data By Alyssa Rege U .S. News & World Report will begin incorporating patient experience data, like a hospital's HCAHPS scores, into its "Best Hospitals" specialty rankings. Officials said the change was instituted after obtaining feedback from patients, hospital leaders and other industry stakeholders. Patient experience data will re- ceive a 5 percent weight in each of the 12 data-driven "Best Hospital" specialty rankings. Patient experience scores will reflect each hospital's performance on the HCAHPS patient satisfaction survey. U.S. News said it chose to use HCAHPS scores rather than the star rating because continuous mea- sures provide more information than categorical measures. The 2019-20 Best Hospitals list will use data from July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018. The publication also noted it would retire the use of patient safety indicators and remove patient safety scores from its methodology in the 2019-20 list. "While the construct of patient safety remains import- ant, we have concluded that these specific measures are not ideal for comparing hospital performance," the publication said in a news release. n

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