Study: CMS hospital infection data confuses patients

The complex healthcare-acquired infection data CMS provides to help patients choose hospitals confuses them more than it helps them, according to an Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology study.

University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers surveyed 110 randomly selected patients at the university's medical center. Participants were asked to compare the hypothetical frequency of CAUTIs and UTIs in two hospitals using data displayed in the form CMS currently uses on Hospital Compare. When patients were given just the written descriptions of HAI prevalence in the two hypothetical hospitals, three in 10 participants, or 28 percent, could not identify which hospital was better. The results worsened when patients were given numeric data in addition to the written descriptions — 40 percent could not identify the better hospital.

"Healthcare has made great strides to engage individuals to take a more active role in their care through the public reporting of data," Max Masnick, PhD, lead author of the study, said in a statement. "However, presenting healthcare-acquired infection data is difficult. We found that the current way public HAI data are communicated is confusing for consumers who are trying to make informed decisions on their care."

The authors conclude that based on their findings, the general public may reach incorrect solutions and be confused by the data used in CMS Hospital Compare's current HAI reporting system.

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