In the news: CMS adds outpatient measures to its Hospital Compare Web site

July 15, 2010
Credentialing Resource Center Digest - Volume 11 Issue 28

CMS recently added outpatient measures to its Hospital Compare Web site. Among the measures include:

  • Outpatients having surgery who got an antibiotic at the right time - within one hour before surgery (higher numbers are better)
  • Outpatients having surgery who got the right kind of antibiotic (higher numbers are better)
  • Average number of minutes before outpatients with chest pain or possible heart attack who needed specialized care were transferred to another hospital (a lower number of minutes is better)
  • Average number of minutes before outpatients with chest pain or possible heart attack got an ECG (a lower number of minutes is better)
  • Outpatients with chest pain or possible heart attack who got drugs to break up blood clots within 30 minutes of arrival (higher numbers are better)
  • Outpatients with chest pain or possible heart attack who got aspirin within 24 hours of arrival or prior to transfer
     

Visit http://hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/ to compare hospitals in your area and see the new measures in action.