Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) collects data on the number of Medicare patients receiving treatment for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or stroke who need to be readmitted to a medical center or who die within 30-days of admission to a medical center.
In terms of 30-day mortality rates, Cedars-Sinai ranks better than the national average for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia care, COPD and stroke. This puts Cedars-Sinai in a select group that includes only two other hospitals in the nation.
CMS considers these to be "outcome of care" measures. They are indicators of how well a hospital prevents complications, educates patients about their care needs and helps patients make a smooth transition from the medical center to home or another type of care facility. The death and readmission rates collected by CMS are "risk-adjusted," taking into consideration how sick the patients were when they were first admitted to the hospital.
It should be noted that some readmissions are appropriate and medically necessary1. The goal regarding readmissions and quality patient care is to assure that patient spends no more time in the hospital than is appropriate and medically necessary for their condition and health status.
Have Questions or Need Help?
If you have questions or wish to learn more about quality measures at Cedars-Sinai, please send us a message.