Risk Watch e-column
April 2005
A monthly update of risk management news, issues and items of interest
AHRQ Report Rates States on Quality Measures
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) on April 4 released its second annual report comparing the 50 states and the District of Columbia in 14 categories of healthcare quality.
AHRQ Director Carolyn Clancy said the report showed an across-the-board improvement of about 3% over 2003, but no single state performed well in every category. Clancy said that the AHRQ will make available $1 million to help states and other organizations learn how to improve care.
California’s ranking on the 14 selected measures of healthcare quality include the following:
- 22.4% of home health patients had to be hospitalized (sixth best percentage in the nation); the national average was 27.5%
- 17.7 colorectal cancer deaths per 100,000 population per year (seventh best); the national average was 19.8
- 72.3% of Medicare heart attack patients were prescribed beta blockers upon hospital discharge (50th); the national average was 83.3%
- 52.8% of Medicare heart failure patients were prescribed ACE inhibitors upon hospital discharge (50th); the national average was 67.2%
For the full report on the 100 quality measures, click here.
(Sources: AHRQ, BCBS HealthIssues)
Study: Patients Seek Info from Web, Doctor
About 70% of consumers surveyed said they turn to the Internet most often to find the information they need to make treatment decisions, according to a new RAND Corporation report released March 24 by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. About 60% said they also turn to their doctor for information.
Survey results also included the following:
- 93% were satisfied with the treatment information they found.
- 50% said it is beyond the control of most individuals to affect the quality of the healthcare they receive.
- 65% of respondents said that individuals cannot have much effect on their healthcare costs.
(Source: BCBS HealthIssues)
Many Seniors Receive Wrong Meds
Nearly 30% of prescriptions written for people aged 65 and over in managed care plans were for medications deemed potentially inappropriate, according to a new study.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School reviewed data collected over an 18-month period in 2000-2001 on more than 157,000 people aged 65 and over. Their findings included the following:
- 28.8% of people over 65 had received at least one prescription for a medication that was potentially inappropriate.
- 5% were given a prescription for a drug in the “always-avoid” category of the Beers Criteria, the recognized standard for drugs the elderly should avoid.
- 13% received a prescription for drugs rarely considered appropriate.
Women were more likely to receive a prescription for an inappropriate medication than men — 32.4% compared with 24.2%.
To minimize the incidence of inappropriate prescriptions, seniors and their families should bring a list of all of their medications — prescription or over-the-counter — and dietary supplements or herbs to each doctor visit, the study authors reported.
The study is published in the February issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
(Source: Forbes)
