Dive Brief:
- Maryland hospitals are showing strong progress in reducing their readmission rates, hospital-acquired infections, and other healthcare safety issues, announces a report from the state hospital association.
- The report examined how 67 hospitals and health systems performed on a variety of quality metrics. The data came through the voluntary participation of hospitals or hospital units in a number of individual programs.
- The report was released following the state's one-year anniversary utilizing a unique and federally-approved all-payer model, which caps hospital revenue to achieve Medicare savings and sets quality and safety standards. The agreement is part of a 5-year trial.
Dive Insight:
The data highlight the power of initiatives in improving safety. However, as Nicole Stallings, vice president for policy and data analytics at the Maryland Hospital Association notes, this doesn't mean the hospitals can consider the goals met and turn their attention elsewhere.
"This does not mean we're going to be able to take our eye off the ball," Stallings told Modern Healthcare. "Just to sustain improvement also takes tremendous effort."
Among the reported gains:
- 90% of participating hospital units were able to report zero central-line-associated bloodstream infections each month.
- 83% of participating hospital units were able to report zero catheter-related infections each month.
- From 2010 to 2014, compliance with hand-hygiene rose to 90% at participating hospitals.
- From 2013 to 2014, re-admissions rates at participating hospitals dropped by more than 4%.