Quality data has little impact on mortality rates

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: Study: Medicare Quality Ratings Didn't Reduce Patient Deaths
Medicare's seven-year effort to spur quality improvements in hospital care by publishing key performance metrics on its Hospital Compare website has not resulted in fewer patient deaths, according to a new Health Affairs study (Rau, 3/5).

Modern Healthcare: Quality Data Shows No Impact On Mortality: Report
Requiring hospitals to publicly report quality data on the CMS' Hospital Compare website appears to have little to no effect on mortality rates, according to a newly published study. Using eight years of Medicare claims data, researchers tried to isolate the net impact of Hospital Compare on death rates, taking into account existing trends in performance improvement and mortality. The results, they say, call into question the utility of posting hospital data on the agency's consumer site (McKinney, 3/5).

CQ HealthBeat: Hospital Compare Site Has Little Effect On Death Rates, Study Finds
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' program for improving the quality of care by publicly comparing hospital performance data may be missing the mark, according to a study published Monday in Health Affairs. Researchers found no difference in the 30-day mortality rates for two conditions included in the Hospital Compare program and only modest improvements for a third. The initiative allows consumers to use a Web-based tool to compare hospital performance (Bristol, 3/5).