CMS Releases Quality of Care Data for Hospitals Participating in HOP QDRP

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released quality of care data for hospitals participating in the Hospital Outpatient Quality Data Reporting Program (HOP QDRP). This data is posted on the Hospital Compare website.

The Hospital Compare website was created jointly by CMS and the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) to make data available to patients, families, and providers on hospital performance and quality of care for certain services. The intent is to help consumers in making decisions about health care, and to encourage hospitals to improve the quality of care they provide. This current release of data is the initial reporting of hospital outpatient quality data on Hospital Compare. Four Imaging Efficiency measures, calculated for hospital outpatient departments using 2008 claims data billed under the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS), are included in the HOP QDRP data release:

MRI Lumbar Spine for Low Back Pain
Mammography Follow-up Rates
Abdomen CT – Use of Contrast Material
Thorax CT – Use of Contrast Material

For more information on the HOP QDRP, visit CMS Quality Net.
More information on the Imaging Efficiency measures can be found here: http://www.qualitynet.org/dcs/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=Qne....