Will this improve quality of hospital care?

Looks like heart attack and heart failure death rates will be listed on Hospital Compare, a government website. From the USA Today article:

Some hospital administrators, though they support the goal, say the statistics may be misleading.

"It clearly needs to be done, but I'm not sure 30-day mortality is the right measure," says Gary Noskin of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. "A patient could have a heart attack (and be treated successfully) and get hit by a bus after he leaves the hospital."

Medicare officials counter that the statistical methods used in the analyses highlight patterns of care, good or bad, not individual cases. The approach was approved by the National Quality Forum, a consortium of professional organizations, businesses, consumer groups, hospital chains and health plans.

Hospital Compare is an interesting website and I think CME Providers should be aware of the information it contains. Click here to read the entire article.