Recorded presentation

Fiona D. Smith, MPH¹, David Miranda, PhD², and Margaret Gerteis, PhD¹. (1) Health Services Research and Policy Group, BearingPoint, 99 High Street, 22- 359, Boston, MA 02110, (617) 988-1816, fsmith1@bearingpoint.net, (2) Center for Beneficiary Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 7500 Security Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21244

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this research was to develop and test two websites that present clinical quality measures of hospital performance, including information about treatments for heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia. Both websites were sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, one for health professionals and the second for consumers. BearingPoint conducted interviews and focus groups to assess information needs, gauge responses to the draft website prototypes, and identify potential barriers to use of the hospital quality information. Respondents included consumers, physicians, hospital management staff, and representatives from Quality Improvement Organizations and state hospital associations in Arizona, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, and Tennessee. FINDINGS: Most consumers expressed an interest in learning about hospital quality and the selected conditions and treatments. However, many had difficulty understanding the measures as hospital performance indicators, because they often attributed health care quality to individual doctors and nurses. Also many thought they could not use the information for choosing hospitals because of the urgent nature of many medical needs or because of restrictions due to their location, doctor's affiliation, or insurance or managed care limitations. Some hospital staff noted they were already using similar data to guide quality improvement efforts. Primary care physicians reacted favorably to the information but reported that they were unlikely to alter their referrals based on the quality measures. Finally, some hospital industry leaders were concerned about the quality of the data and the potential misuse of the information by mass media.

Learning Objectives:

• - Describe the objectives of Medicare's Hospital Quality Initiative
• - Identify the methods used to test websites and identify the target audiences

Keywords: Hospitals, Quality of Care

Related Web page: www.cms.hhs.gov/quality/hospital/

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: BearingPoint
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation