Medicare Deaths in HospitalsToo High

Studies that were just completed showed some interesting – and critical – facts about hospital care for those on Medicare. 

Just as there are differences in the quality at various restaurants and hotels from 5 stars on down, the same is true of hospitals.  There are hospitals that provide the best service and they are considered 5 star hospitals and there are hospitals that run all the way down to 1 star.  The ratings are based on performance and outcomes.

The studies show that hospitals that treat mainly individuals on Medicare do not do nearly as good of a job as the ones that treat individuals with other forms of healthcare coverage.

The 11th Annual HealthGrades Hospital Study in America found that nearly 240,000 deaths of people covered by Medicare could have been prevented between 2005 and 2007 if the patients had been treated in higher level rather than lower level hospitals.  This number represents 12% of all Medicare patient deaths.

Overall death rates declined during that period, however, the hospitals performing at the 5 star level reduced deaths much more quickly than those performing at lower levels.  The higher performing hospitals had substantially fewer deaths than the lower performing ones.

The study did not publish names of individual hospitals, however the conclusion was that the best place to have treatment or surgery was in the “rust belt” the area of the Midwest where General Motors and Ford are located, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.  The worst place for good outcomes was the Deep South, especially in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Most of the deaths were related to preventable issues that are caused by the hospital in the vast majority of cases.  The hospitals that performed more surgeries did better at controlling these issues. The more experience a surgeon has, the better choices they make and the less complications arise.

The study concluded that the chances of a death in the lowest rated hospitals is 70% higher than that in a 5 star hospital.  The chances of death in a 3 star – or middle grade - hospital are 50% higher than in a 5 star hospital. 

If you have to go to the hospital be sure to check the quality rating before you go, if possible.  Before an emergency presents itself, check the ratings for all the hospitals in your area.

To check hospital ratings, you can look on the web at www.HealthGrades.com, a website designed to help people find hospital performance.

Filed under: General-Medicare

Tags: deaths, General-Medicare, hosital ratings, medicare coverage, medicare treatment