Wednesday, March 30, 2005
New quality evaluation tool available to consumers
[P.J. Griekspoor, "Care, compared," The Wichita Eagle, 29 March 2005.]
A lack of information is often cited as a reason that consumers cannot be trusted to make their own health care decisions. Recent developments indicate that information is going to become much more readily available:
Wichita doctors and hospitals take quality measurement seriously.
That's the message that comes across as a new consumer Web site designed to report quality information goes online Friday.
Every hospital in Kansas will be listed on the Web site, which is a collaborative effort of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, national hospital organizations and other health care organizations.
The site has been in the works since November 2003. It is based on 17 standards related to care for heart attacks, congestive heart failure and pneumonia.
"We anticipate that more and more standards will be added as time goes on," said Joe Davison, president of the Medical Society of Sedgwick County. "We expect this to lead to a comprehensive look at how well our hospitals do in a whole range of areas."
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services initiative, which began eight years ago with similar benchmarks for home health care and nursing homes, will assess doctors' offices within the next several months, Davison said.
"We're looking at a new way of practicing medicine," he said. "It's a new future."
[P.J. Griekspoor, "Care, compared," The Wichita Eagle, 29 March 2005.]
A lack of information is often cited as a reason that consumers cannot be trusted to make their own health care decisions. Recent developments indicate that information is going to become much more readily available:
Wichita doctors and hospitals take quality measurement seriously.
That's the message that comes across as a new consumer Web site designed to report quality information goes online Friday.
Every hospital in Kansas will be listed on the Web site, which is a collaborative effort of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, national hospital organizations and other health care organizations.
The site has been in the works since November 2003. It is based on 17 standards related to care for heart attacks, congestive heart failure and pneumonia.
"We anticipate that more and more standards will be added as time goes on," said Joe Davison, president of the Medical Society of Sedgwick County. "We expect this to lead to a comprehensive look at how well our hospitals do in a whole range of areas."
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services initiative, which began eight years ago with similar benchmarks for home health care and nursing homes, will assess doctors' offices within the next several months, Davison said.
"We're looking at a new way of practicing medicine," he said. "It's a new future."
Comments:
Post a Comment
