Hospital mortality rates for women declining

AORN Journal,  Sept, 2005  

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Women's survival rates in US hospitals increased by 11% for cardiac disease and stroke from 2001 to 2003, according to a June 27, 2005, news release from HealthGrades, Golden, Colo. The Women's Health Outcomes in US Hospitals study found that although overall survival rates increased, a quality gap was clearly visible, with the best-performing hospitals registering a 39% tower risk-adjusted mortality rate than the poorest-performing hospitals in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

For many cardiac procedures, there was a dramatic difference in mortality rates between the nation's best-performing hospitals lie, those in the top 15%) and poorest-performing hospitals lie, those in the bottom 15%). On average, women treated at the best-performing hospitals had a 46.44% tower risk of mortality for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, a 43.63% Lower risk of mortality for heart failure, and a 42.75% tower risk of mortality for angioplasties compared to women treated at the poorest-performing hospitals.

Other study findings include the following.

* The overall improvement rate among the best-performing hospitals was approximately 12.7% compared to approximately 5.7% among the poorest-performing hospitals.

* The greatest improvement in women's mortality rates among all hospitals was in CABG surgery (ie, 16.44%), and the smallest improvement was in stroke lie, 3.35%).

* The widest improvement gap between the best-performing and poorest-performing hospitals was is heart failure lie, 23.7% compared to 4.28%).

The study examined women's outcomes from more than 1,500 hospitals in 17 states. The results of the study and hospital quality ratings in 28 different procedures and diagnoses are available online at http://www.healthgrades.com.

Hospital Outcomes for Women Improve, but Some Hospitals Fall Far Behind: HealthGrades Study (news release, Golden, Colo: HealthGrades, June 27, 2005) http://www.healthgrades.com/media/DMS/pdf/ HGWomensHealthReleaseFINAL6272005.pdf (accessed 22 July 2005).

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