Hospital Response to Public Reporting of Quality Indicators

Senior hospital executives responding to a 2005 national telephone survey report that Hospital Compare and other public reports on hospital quality measures have helped to focus hospital leadership attention on quality matters. This article notes that the executives also report increased investment in quality improvement projects and in people and systems to improve documentation of care. In addition, more consideration is given to best practices guidelines and internal sharing of quality measure results among hospital staff. Large, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) accredited hospitals appear to be responding to public reporting efforts more consistently than small, non-JCAHO accredited hospitals.