Whoa! Take a moment and think about which payer has the greatest quality reporting initiative ever. Hint, hint… think 4 letters of the alphabet PQRS… think of at least 318 measures that can be reported…. ding, ding, ding: Medicare!
So, if all this “quality” reporting has been occurring, is it safe to assume quality of care is improved?
Maybe… maybe not.
I got all mentally worked up a few minutes ago over an article analyzing risk-adjusted mortality rates within a hospital system. Mortality research typically seems to be focused on procedures or age. This research was different – analyzed by payer. Take one guess which patients received inferior care and had higher risk-adjusted mortality rates? Yup, Medicare.
I wonder… if providers are diverting their attention to reporting measures and making sure their i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed, does that affect care? Could clinicians be spending more time on meeting various regulations versus focusing on the patient in front of them? Is that what drove higher mortality rates?
As I now write this… having to actually *think* about what I want to write, I noticed the data was analyzed from 2006-2008. So, my initial gut reaction might have been wrong…
Do you think rules and regulations and mandated reporting requirements may actually reduce quality of care?
Until next time,
~Selena
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