Risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality is once again improving at U.S. hospitals, even as they care for more complex, high-acuity patients after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published Nov. 12 in JAMA Network Open.
The study, conducted by the American Hospital Association and Vizient, analyzed more than 7.8 million inpatient encounters at 715 hospitals from late 2019 through early 2024. Researchers sought to determine whether two key patient safety indicators — risk-adjusted mortality and case mix index — had returned to their prepandemic trajectories.
Risk-adjusted mortality decreased from 1.00 in the fourth quarter of 2019 to 0.80 in the first quarter of 2024, marking a significant and steady improvement. Meanwhile, the mean case mix index jumped from 1.70 to 1.79 over the same time period.
“Risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality declined significantly following the COVID-19 pandemic, resuming its prepandemic trajectory of improvement, while patient acuity as measured by CMI remained elevated,” study authors wrote. “These findings suggest a new postpandemic baseline for patient acuity, whereas hospital mortality outcomes have returned to prior improvement trends.”
See the full study here.
