Medicare claims can be used to identify hospitals with high rates of surgical site infections after hip arthroplasty, according to a study in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
The study included Medicare patients who underwent hip arthroplasty in acute-care U.S. hospitals from 2005 through 2007. Researchers used claims codes suggestive of SSI to rank hospitals based on their rates of SSIs after hip arthroplasty. The researchers validated infections at hospitals with the best and worst performance using medical records.
Results showed that patients who had a hip replacement at a hospital ranked in the worst-performing decile had nearly three times the likelihood of developing an SSI compared with patients at a hospital in the best-performing decile.
The authors concluded that Medicare claims can successfully distinguish between hospitals with high and low SSI rates after hip replacements.
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The study included Medicare patients who underwent hip arthroplasty in acute-care U.S. hospitals from 2005 through 2007. Researchers used claims codes suggestive of SSI to rank hospitals based on their rates of SSIs after hip arthroplasty. The researchers validated infections at hospitals with the best and worst performance using medical records.
Results showed that patients who had a hip replacement at a hospital ranked in the worst-performing decile had nearly three times the likelihood of developing an SSI compared with patients at a hospital in the best-performing decile.
The authors concluded that Medicare claims can successfully distinguish between hospitals with high and low SSI rates after hip replacements.
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An Early Warning System for Surgical Site Infections: Thoughts from ICNet President and CEO Pat Beyer
