Up to $1 billion could have been saved if all patients with pneumonia or undergoing heart bypass received at least 76% of a set of basic, widely accepted care measures in 2004, according to an analysis by Premier Inc. The analysis was based on data from the hospital alliance’s pay-for-performance demonstration project with CMS. Through that project, Premier is collecting a set of 33 quality indicators from more than 250 hospitals across the country. Other projected outcomes associated with improved process delivery include 3,000 fewer deaths, 6,000 fewer complications, 6,000 fewer readmissions, and 500,000 fewer days in the hospital.
“This is dramatic proof that hospitals can take relatively simple steps to significantly reduce costs without infringing on clinical decisions regarding patients’ care,” said Douglas Hawthorne, chairman of the Premier board of directors and president and CEO of Texas Health Resources. The Premier study also examined heart failure, hip and knee replacement, and acute myocardial infarction. Preliminary results appear similar to the results for pnemonia and heart bypass, although in some complicated clinical conditions, the association between cost savings and outcomes is not as clear.
