CMS is preserving a critical patient safety measure in its Inpatient Quality Reporting Program after Leapfrog urged the agency to do away with a proposal to remove the measure.
The "Death Among Surgical Inpatients with Serious Treatable Complications" safety measure, also known as Patient Safety Indicator 4, or PSI-4, will remain in place for now, per CMS Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule for 2022.
In June, more than 75 organizations and individuals signed Leapfrog's letter to CMS regarding the proposed removal of PSI-4, outlining several reasons why the safety measure should remain in place.
"We are grateful to CMS for their leadership, listening and responding to the concerns of purchasers and consumers," Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in a statement shared with Becker's Aug. 6. "Reversing course on its proposal to stop publicly reporting deaths from treatable surgical complications is a major win for patient safety. Yet more work needs to be done to preserve this measure and other critical safety measures in public reporting. CMS' role in protecting patients from preventable death and suffering is indispensable."