How well do local hospitals treat major medical conditions? A new Hospital Performance Report  for 2015 looks at how well hospitals across the state handle more than a dozen medical conditions and procedures.

 

The data from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council includes death rates, hospital re-admission rates, and charges for 17 conditions and procedures–everything from abnormal heart rate, heart failure, and stroke, to kidney failure, colo-rectal procedures, pneumonia and septicemia or blood infections.

 

The report shows that UPMC Altoona had a significantly higher than expected death rate for  7 conditions: abnormal heartbeat, congestive heart failure (CHF), stroke, acute kidney failure, aspiration pneumonia, septicemia, and colorectal procedures.

 

Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center had significantly higher than expected mortality rates from CHF, acute kidney failure and septicemia.

 

Penn Highlands Elk and Punxsutawney Area Hospital had a significantly higher than expected death rate for CHF.  Penn Highlands Brookville’s mortality rate for septicemia was higher  than expected.

 

 

UPMC Altoona issued this response to the findings: 

 

“While UPMC Altoona supports healthcare quality and reporting initiatives, this PHC4 data, which is more than a year old, does not reflect our improvements in all areas of care. With the assistance of clinical and quality experts at UPMC, our physicians and staff have increased patient safety and satisfaction through a number of initiatives-including hospital-wide implementation of electronic health records.”

 

 

Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center issued this response to the findings:

 

The PHC4 Hospital Performance Report is one of many data tools developed to assist consumers in choosing health care providers. The Conemaugh Health System continues to work hard to provide the best care to our patients with many quality initiatives underway. We are pleased to have improved in several areas including mortality rates for abnormal heartbeat, heart attack medical management and stroke. We also have seen a decrease in readmissions for Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) and Kidney and Urinary Tract Infections.

 

Some of the many initiatives we have underway, that we feel are contributing to our success include:

·         

Creation of a Rapid Response team for cardiac patients

·         Chest Pain Accreditation

·         Stroke – now offering telestroke, Certified in Primary Stroke in June 2016

·         New Program for Congestive Heart Failure – including hiring a nurse navigator to help with                    patient education and compliance  

·         The creation of a home IV diuretic program through Conemaugh Home Health to help prevent readmissions

 

As a tertiary care facility with Level 1 Trauma, our patients are often very sick with many co-morbidities

 

For Example: Congestive Heart Failure Mortalities 2015

·         Average age of patients: 84

·         Many patients had Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) and comfort measures only orders

·         Many co-morbidities

 

Moved to Higher than expected for Septicemia

·         Organizational team built screening criteria

·         Screening criteria has been built into our new Conemaugh Connect powered by 

           Epic, Electronic Medical Record which launches October 22

·         This system will provide screening criteria, summary of care and order sets for             

Septicemia.

 

In general we have several processes in place for reviewing patient care concerns including Medical and Nursing staff Peer Review. We are pleased with the progress that has been made and remain committed to proactive, collaborative programs to keep patients safe and at home.