No Matter Where You Fall on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), You Can't Argue This... Clinical Outcomes Must Improve!
Approximately 4 years ago, a family friend who was a practicing attorney in his early 60's had a moderately complex valve surgery performed at a reputable hospital. He was told he would eventually need the surgery, but it was not critical to have immediately. He decided to proceed with the surgery. He was in relatively decent health. He survived the surgery and recovered well, getting moved from CCU to private room within a couple of days. Then he acquired an infection (sepsis). He never returned home, leaving a widow and many loved ones.
Risks are inherent in any invasive procedure. But the incidence of hospital-acquired sepsis and pneumonia are preventable and manageable. Without doing so, the costs are extraordinary. For example, Healthcare Financial Management Magazine recently reported that in 2006 alone there were 48,000 people "killed" due to these two hospital-acquired infections. The cost of these infections totaled 8.1 billion dollars....and this does not include the cost associated with the loss of a productive life, as in the case of my friend.
The ultimate face of real healthcare reform will likely include more accountability for these types of results as, indeed, government payers such as Medicare have already begun to reduce payments for such infections. Clinical outcomes must be the centerpiece of real reform. Time will tell if PPACA will accomplish this or not. But rest assured that a central tenet of any health system strategic plan we are privileged to lead will include a focus on improving clinical outcomes. Consumers cannot easily discern quality in healthcare (see Michael Millenson's post about misunderstood Joint Commission data.), but numerous efforts are under way to provide real direction for consumers. This will, of course, eventually impact market share, as it should.
We are interested to learn more from our clients and friends about how they discern quality. Are there websites you utilize? Reports you read? Let us know. We will of course keep you posted on all things Quality, Strategy, and Finance related to healthcare, so check our healthcare blog often for updates.
