University Community Health supports providing consumers with good, reliable data on their healthcare. We have demonstrated this commitment to public reporting by participating in the CMS Hospital Compare Web Site, along with other similar initiatives.

This is a first step in the direction of providing consumers with useful information, however there are limitations in the data submitted to AHCA and as a result there are bound to be some issues and discrepancies. Therefore, consumers should use this data as only one factor in their healthcare decision-making process.

It is important for the public to understand and remember that when reviewing the performance data, death or complications may occur even when all standards of care are followed.

It is important that consumers understand the limitations of the data and the measures:

• The AHCA database is not complete due to the fact that AHCA is only using 160 codes (for all-medical conditions, procedures and outpatient surgeries) out of hundreds of possible code choices.
• The data alone does not always present a full picture of a patient's condition, for example, the intensity or severity of the patient’s illness or injury.  
• It is also impossible to perfectly risk adjust any claims data. For example, if a hospital accepts a patient with a primary diagnosis of “X” and also presents with a secondary diagnosis of a “bed sore,” the hospital will be held responsible for the second diagnosis even if the patient acquired the bed sore at another facility. In effect, by using the AHCA data, hospitals could be judged based on the quality of care provided to a patient from another facility.

The data that is reported is done so by using financial (billing/claims data) rather than clinical information, which typically does not provide specific details about a patient’s condition at the time of admission, nor capture everything that occurred during the hospital stay.

• AHCA decided to use billing information and not the clinically rich data from the medical record since billing information is more readily available and inexpensive to collect and report.
• Coding differences exist across hospitals due to the fact that physicians document differently thus causing some variations in how a patients treatment is coded, making it more difficult to make “fair” comparisons across hospitals.

At University Community Health, we are continuously working to improve our coding processes to ensure that our input data is a true reflection on the severity of a patient’s medical condition, including working with physicians to accurately document the diagnosis and patient condition upon which the codes are based. We continuously benchmark ourselves against other organizations that use chart review to classify data rather than billing information.

We are proud of our internal infection surveillance and monitoring program and our national recognition in controlling infection rates.

• We monitor hand-washing compliance in a variety of ways, such as direct observation, soap and alcohol foam usage.
• We follow CDC guidelines for isolation precautions.
• We provide personal protective equipment to staff, and we train and educate our staff during initial and annual orientation sessions.
• Infection-related information is reported to the multidisciplinary Infection Control Committee and also back to each nursing unit so the patient care staff members can review how they are performing.

We are also proud of our clinical performance, which is continually validated and recognized by other third party industry specialists, including:

• Joint Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
• Florida Medical Quality Assurance, Inc. (FMQAI)
• HealthGrades healthcare quality company
• Chest Pain Center Accreditation by Society of Chest Pain Centers
• Accreditation with Commendation granted to our Center For Cancer Care
• United Health designation for Excellence in the Treatment of Cardiac Disease

Our infection rates are consistently below national rates, and we have received two national awards from Voluntary Hospitals of America (VHA) commending our low bloodstream infection rates and low ventilator-associated pneumonia rate.

What Can a Patient Do With the Data?
Patients should use this information to begin a conversation with their physician about the care they expect to receive. No data or website can replace the value of a good relationship between a patient and their physician. Information on the course of treatment and the physician's perspective on efforts to reduce infection and improve outcomes should be discussed. Additionally, patients should remain focused on areas of personal health improvement that can positively impact the incidence of infection and treatment outcomes. Only the patient can reduce his or her health risks from smoking, overeating, and lack of exercise, all of which can contribute to adverse patient outcomes.

Click Here for AHCA Outcomes Data.