Newswise — The Journal of the American College of Cardiology recently published a study evaluating the connection between mandatory public reporting and the number of angioplasty procedures performed. Angioplasty is a non-surgical procedure to open clogged arteries.
The study, led by Stephen W. Waldo M.D., found that in states where hospitals were required to publically report the outcomes of angioplasty procedures, fewer procedures were performed on high risk patients than in states where hospitals had no similar requirements. That, in turn, led to more deaths in high risk patients when angioplasties were not done. Those patients included individuals with serious heart conditions and the elderly.
“These data suggest that public reporting may improve outcomes but may also have the unintended consequence of increasing risk aversion to the detriment of overall outcomes for patients with myocardial infarction,” said Waldo.*
Mauro M. Moscucci, M.D., M.B.A., the medical director of the LifeBridge Health Cardiovascular Institute and chief of medicine at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, authored the editorial comment accompanying the study.
In it, he noted that public reporting might provide a drive toward improving quality of care, that transparency is crucial to make sure that the best care is given and that patients have the necessary information to make informed decisions about that care. However, he also highlighted that the fear of public reporting might lead to risk aversion, and thus denial of care to high risk patients. To avoid this, he suggested developing new ways to gather and calculate the statistics, teach potential patients and their families how to better understand the information provided and work with doctors on best practices, and on reducing the potential bias due to their perception of public reporting.
If you would like to interview Dr. Moscucci, please contact:Helene KingMedia relations coordinator410-601-2296[email protected]
LifeBridge Health is one of the largest, most comprehensive health providers in Maryland. LifeBridge Health includes Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Northwest Hospital, Carroll Hospital, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital, and other related subsidiaries and affiliates.
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*Quote from American College of Cardiology website.
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