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Top Hospitals More Likely to Address Needs of Terminally Ill in Local Communities
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The nation's top performing hospitals are more likely to address the needs of the terminally ill through hospice services than other acute care U.S. hospitals, according to new findings by Solucient. A total of 16 hospitals in Ohio and Pennsylvania are on this year's Top 100 list.The findings are part of the Solucient 100 Top Hospitals: National Benchmarks for Success, 11th Edition study which appears in May 24, 2004 edition of Modern Healthcare magazine.The study finds that if all acute care hospitals performed at the same level as the nation's top hospitals, 95,000 more Medicare patients could survive and an additional 77,000 patient stays could be complication-free each year -- at an estimated annual savings of $8.8 billion.In fact, if these same standards applied to all hospital inpatients, the impact would be even greater, the study adds.Based on an analysis of U.S. acute care hospitals in 2002, the study identified top performing hospitals for setting performance benchmarks across four critical areas: quality of care, operational efficiency, financial performance and adaptation to the environment."The management teams at the 100 Top Hospitals have led their facilities to the highest performance levels in the nation by adopting new approaches that facilitate optimum care for patients, based on their real needs," said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president of Solucient's Center for Healthcare Improvement, which is responsible for the 100 Top Hospitals program. "The greater use of hospice services at these organizations is a reflection of this commitment.""As the nation's population ages, end-of-life care will affect greater numbers of people and consume a growing amount of resources. In fact, recent surveys show an increasing awareness of end-of-life care issues among both providers and consumers of health care," said David Foster, Ph.D., vice president of clinical informatics at Solucient. "It is reassuring then that the 100 Top Hospitals are demonstrating results indicating an awareness of the importance of hospice care for their patients."Among the key findings:Adjusted for hospice availability, winning or "benchmark" hospitals were 17% more likely to discharge terminally ill patients to hospice services than non-winning or "peer" hospitals.Benchmark hospitals had a nearly 18% lower mortality rate than peer hospitals, while patients at 100 Top Hospitals had 13% fewer complications.Patients at winning hospitals return to everyday life faster than those at non-winning hospitals. These patients were released nearly half a day sooner, on average, than patients at peer hospitals.Expenses per discharge at benchmark hospitals were 16% lower than peer hospitals ($4,147 benchmark vs. $4,950 peer).Winning hospitals pay more to attract quality staff. Salary and benefits per full-time employee were nearly 3% higher than peer hospitals.Benchmark hospitals treat more -- and sicker -- patients than non-winning hospitals. The median Medicare patient case mix index at winning hospitals was 22% higher than at peer hospitals. Benchmark hospitals also had 24% more admissions per bed.Winning hospitals use a higher percentage of special care days for their patients -- 14% vs. 11% for peer hospitals.The cash flow to total debt ratio at benchmark hospitals was nearly 119% higher than peer hospitals.Facilities recognized on the list are represented across the five hospital classes of major teaching (15 winners); teaching (25 winners); large community, 250-plus beds (21 winners); medium community, 100 to 249 beds (20 winners); and small communityi, 25 to 99 beds (20 winners). The study scored facilities according to key measures: risk-adjusted mortality and risk adjusted complications, average length of stay, expenses, profitability, growth in percent of community served, cash flow to total debt ratio, tangible assets per adjusted discharge, and coding specificity.Ohio hospitals include University Hospital, Cincinnati, major teachinig; Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus, and Hillcrest Hospital, Mayfield Heights, teaching; EMH Regional Medical Center, Elyria, large community; Mercy Hospital Anderson, Cincinnati, Adena Regional Medical Center, Chillicothe, and Licking Memorial Hospital, Newark, medium community; and Dunlap Memorial Hospital, Orrville, small community.Pennsylvania hospital winners are The Western Pennsylvania Hospital and UPMC Presbyterian, both in Pittsburgh, major teaching; Lancaster General Hospital, Lancaster, teaching; St. Mary Medical Center, Langhorne, large community; Butler Memorial Hospital, Butler, UPMC St. Margaret, Pittsburgh, DuBois Regional Medical Center, DuBois, UPMC Northwest, Oil City, and Paoli Hospital, Paoli, medium community.Visit Solucient: www.solucient.com"