Helpful Resources
- Illinois Hospitals Caring for You as a Starting Point
- Other Helpful Resources Available
- Technical and Background Information on
Data and Measurement Content of Illinois Hospitals Caring for You - Future Developments
Illinois Hospitals Caring for You as a Starting Point
Illinois Hospitals Caring for You is intended to be a helpful “starting point” to access useful information about Illinois hospitals, the health care services available, types of patients treated, along with widely reported quality and patient safety care indicators and patient satisfaction. The information provided is a starting point in your journey to learn more about your hospital providers and we encourage you to discuss this information with your care givers and physicians in planning for, selecting or receiving care. The contact information for each hospital is on its profile page and includes its location, phone number, and web site address.
Other Helpful Resources Available
Illinois Hospitals Caring for You provides information to assist you to better select your hospital and medical care. These links provide you and your loved ones with tips to communicate more effectively with providers, fact sheets about infection control practices, and checklists to help you prepare for a doctor visit, procedure, or hospital stay. Please feel free to print, review and bring this information along with you on a visit to your doctor or hospital.
Questions to Ask About Your Health Care. Helpful information includes tips and lists of recommended questions to ask when talking with your doctor, getting medical tests, planning for surgery, getting a prescription for medicine, to avoid medical mistakes.
English http://www.ahrq.gov/questionsaretheanswer/index.html,
Spanish http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/espanoix.htm
Visiting Your Doctor. Two-page booklet with information about seeing and talking with your doctor, preparing for your visit, tips for physical exams, lab tests, treatments or surgery, and what to do after your visit to the doctor.
English http://www.jointcommission.org/NR/rdonlyres/4B221DBC-12C1-4317-9B34-953100AC2583/0/speakup_doctors_visit.pdf
Spanish http://www.jointcommission.org/NR/rdonlyres/47250C94-9A59-43CF-97AC-C347B6F46365/0/speakup_doctors_visit_SP.pdf
Keeping Track of Your Medications. A tool to list all the medicines you are taking including information about your doctor, why you take the medicine, when you started the medicine, how much and how often you take the medicine, allergy and vaccination history.
English http://www.mnpatientsafety.org/files/pdfs/medication-tracking-form.pdf
Spanish http://www.mnpatientsafety.org/files/pdfs/my-medicine-list-spanish7-18-07.pdf
Preventing Surgical Infections. Questions to ask your doctor and tips to avoid surgical complications including infections, blood clots and heart attack.
English http://www.premierinc.com/safety/topics/scip/downloads/consumer-tips.pdf
Preventing Infection, Washing Your Hands. This resource provides useful information about when and how to cleanse your hands, one of the easiest and most effective ways to protect yourself from many infectious diseases.
English http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dph/cdc/handwashing/brochure.pdf
Spanish http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dph/cdc/handwashing/brochure_sp.pdf
Seasonal Flu Message and resources from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) about protecting yourself from the flu including hand washing, covering your cough, and other web based flu resources and an Illinois Flu Hot Line.
English http://www.idph.state.il.us/pdf/Flu_Educate_Card.pdf
Spanish http://www.idph.state.il.us/pdf/Flu_Educate_Card_sp.pdf
Planning Your Hospital Discharge. Checklist of important questions and topics you or your family member or other caregiver should consider and address when planning to be discharged from the hospital or nursing home. English http://www.medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf/11376.pdf
Spanish http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11376_S.pdf
General Health Information. Useful information covering 1,600 health topics, finding services, health news and personal health tools.
English http://www.healthfinder.gov/
Spanish http://www.healthfinder.gov/espanol/
Future Health Care Decisions. Useful information about your future medical decisions and planning for end-of-life care explains advance directives, power of attorney, living wills, do-not-resuscitate orders and other related topics.
English http://www.idph.state.il.us/public/books/advin.htm
Spanish http://www.idph.state.il.us/public/books/advin_sp.htm
How to Determine Cost of Care. Your potential out-of-pocket cost is dependent on the type of health coverage you have and what deductible and coinsurance levels are required by your health plan. These can be obtained by contacting your health plan for specific patient financial responsibilities. The cost of care varies based upon a patient’s condition and services provided by the hospital and other caregivers during the patient’s stay. If you are interested in getting an estimate of the cost of your care during a stay, your physician will be able to tell you the expected services but will also note that additional costs may vary based upon your particular care needs. Your hospital may be able to tell you the category of service you will likely be in, but may not be able to give you a cost estimate as health insurance payment plans vary.
If you do not have health coverage, many hospitals may be able to provide you with an estimate based on your specific health care need, but keep in mind that the final amount will be dependent on the specific services that are ultimately provided based on your specific needs. Hospitals will provide a discount to eligible uninsured patients in accordance with the Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act (summary announcement http://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/pressroom/2009_03/20090330.html and full Act at http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=095-0965&GA=095 ) and in addition, have financial assistance policies that can be accessed by contacting the hospital’s patient accounts department directly. Hospital phone number and web site addresses may be found on each hospital’s profile page on the Illinois Hospitals Caring for You web site.
If you are on Medicare, you may wish to contact Medicare to help determine the costs that are your responsibility – you can contact Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 or visit their web site at
http://www.medicare.gov/Coverage/Search/Results.asp?State=IL%7CIllinois&Coverage=38%7CHospital+Care+%28Inpatient%29&submitState=View+Results+%3E
If you are on Medicaid, you may wish to contact Medicaid to help determine your eligibility and any costs that are your responsibility – you can contact Medicaid at 1-800-843-6154 or go to their web site at http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=30359
If you are insured by a commercial health plan through your employer, you should contact your health plan or your employer’s human resource department to discuss coverage issues as each health plan and employer has their own contractual arrangements. If you are insured through a commercial health plan and have self or family insurance or through a direct agreement with your health plan, you should contact your health plan directly. If you are on a Medicare Advantage plan, you should contact your Medicare Advantage commercial health plan directly.
Thinking About a Career in Health Care? One of the most exciting and rewarding careers one can have is in health care. Providing care to those in need is one that requires knowledge and skills and the desire to make a difference in the lives of others. To learn how you or someone you know can get started in health care, please go to http://www.ilhealthcareers.org
Protecting our Health Care in Illinois. To learn how you can make a difference by supporting efforts to protect health care in Illinois, please go to http://www.protectillinoishealthcare.org
Technical and Background Information on
Data and Measurement Content of Illinois Hospitals Caring for You
Hospitals report information routinely to state and federal government agencies and hospital oversight and accreditation organizations. The information contained in this web site includes the information that is routinely reported to government and non-government organizations. Hospitals also provided additional information on their benefits and services so that consumers can have a better understanding of the services they provide.
The following information describes the information contained on this web site including the methodology, source of data and information, and links to relevant web sites for additional documentation.
- Quality Care and You
This section contains information on quality measurements that are reported by hospitals to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and measurements that soon will be publicly reported by CMS and IDPH to the public as they are now approved for public reporting by the National Quality Forum (NQF). The source of the Illinois data is primarily the Illinois Hospital Association (IHA) and CMS.
Not all hospitals provide the inpatient care services for the quality measurements listed. If the measurement results listed have a N/A as the result, the hospital either does not provide that service or is not required to report that information under federal regulations. Hospitals with a note of “No Eligible Patients” had no cases that met the criteria for the time period.
- Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Pneumonia
Information– The information contained on heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia is focused on the percent of patients that received what is known as the standards of ‘evidence based practice’ by leading health care experts. The measurements include what are known as process measurements that indicate the percent of patients that received the best known practices of care during their hospital stay. The bundle score indicates the percent of patients that received all of the processes of care during their stay. While these are important indicators of care, there are additional measurements that also effect outcomes of care but have not yet been prepared for reporting by CMS, AHRQ, or NQF.
Data Source – The data for each hospital is reported to IHA and in turn, IHA reports these data to CMS. CMS is the recipient of all measurement data for each hospital required to report their performance data to CMS. As the recipient of all data, CMS has created state and national averages for comparative performance analysis by the public and are included in the reported data.
Methodology – The measurement methodology has been created by CMS and is utilized for reporting of measurements on CMS’ Hospital Compare web site at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov ; The Joint Commission Quality Check web site at www.qualitycheck.org ; and the Medicare Quality Net web site for technical specifications at http://www.qualitynet.org/dcs/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=QnetPublic%2FPage%2FQnetTier2&cid=1141662756099 The National Quality Forum has overseen the technical review of the measurement methodology as it has also been reviewed and approved by clinical experts and providers and the general public.
- Surgical Care Improvement Program (SCIP)
Information– The information contained on surgical care is focused on the percent of patients that received what is known as the standards of ‘evidence based practice’ by leading health care experts. The measurements include what are known as process measurements that indicate the percent of patients that received the best known practices of care during their hospital stay. The bundle score indicates the percent of patients that received all of the processes of care during their stay. While these are important indicators of care, there are additional measurements that also effect outcomes of care but have not yet been prepared for reporting by CMS, IDPH, AHRQ, or NQF.
Data Source – The data for each hospital is reported to IHA and in turn, IHA reports this data to IDPH and CMS. CMS is the recipient of all measurement data for each hospital required to report their performance data to CMS. IDPH is the recipient of all data for Illinois hospitals as required under the Hospital Report Card Act. As the recipient of all data for all states, CMS has created national averages for comparative performance analysis by the public and are included in the reported data.
Methodology – The measurement methodology has been created by CMS and is utilized for reporting of measurements on CMS’ Hospital Compare web site at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov ; The Joint Commission Quality Check web site at www.qualitycheck.org ; and the Medicare Quality Net web site for technical specifications at http://www.qualitynet.org/dcs/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=QnetPublic%2FPage%2FQnetTier2&cid=1141662756099 The National Quality Forum has overseen the technical review of the measurement methodology as it has also been reviewed and approved by clinical experts and providers and the general public.
- Quality and Patient Safety Measurements for Adults and Children
Information– The quality and patient safety measurements are for patients hospitalized in a given year. The measurements were developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and endorsed by the National Quality Forum. The measurements are widely utilized by health care providers, state and federal government agencies, commercial health information companies, and health plans. The information reported on the Illinois Hospitals Caring for You web site is risk adjusted by clinical risk factors and inclusion and exclusion criteria, but not statistically risk adjusted.
Data Source – The administrative inpatient data for each hospital is reported to IHA and in turn, IHA reports this data to IDPH.
Methodology – The measurement methodology has been created by AHRQ and is publicly available on the AHRQ web site at http://www.qualityindicators.ahrq.gov
- 30-Day Readmission for Heart Attack, Heart Failure, and Pneumonia
Information – Includes readmissions within 30 days for Medicare patients that had a heart attack, heart failure, or pneumonia over a three year period. The readmissions are for any reason and can include cancer patients, car accidents, or any reason for which a patient returns to the hospital. The measurements were developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Data Source – The information is from Medicare administrative claims data for the three year period covering July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2008 and as reported by CMS’ Hospital Compare web site.
Methodology - The measurement methodology was created by CMS and is utilized for reporting of measurements on CMS’ Hospital Compare web site at http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/Hospital/Static/ConsumerInformation_tabset.asp?activeTab=3&Language=English&version=default&subTab=1
- Patient Satisfaction
Information - Experiences of patients 18 years and older are collected through national standardized surveys on their hospital experiences. The information is gathered according to requirements outlined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and CMS using a standardized survey that was approved for national usage by the National Quality Forum. The survey results are presented for each hospital as unadjusted with direct submission from a hospital or survey vendor or adjusted with results risk adjusted through a methodology developed by AHRQ.
Data Source – Hospitals that submit data unadjusted are submitting directly from their patient satisfaction survey vendor results and hospitals with adjusted data have the Hospital Compare web site as their source of data as the results are risk adjusted by AHRQ and CMS.
Methodology – The methodology for the survey instrument design and reporting is available on the CMS’ Hospital Compare web site at http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/Hospital/Static/ConsumerInformation_tabset.asp?activeTab=5&Language=English&version=default For additional information on the risk adjustment methodology applied depending upon the patient mix or the method by which the survey was administered (mail, phone, or interactive voice recognition), please go to http://www.hcahpsonline.org/home.aspx
- Patients Served by Health Condition
Information – The number of inpatients and their average length of stay for all medical and surgical inpatients by major health condition. The information is displayed by categories known as Major Diagnostic Categories (MDCs) by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. MDCs reflect the major body system and were created to better categorize conditions of patients. The MS-DRG is based upon all the ICD-9 diagnostic codes and procedures of the patient (some health plans may not process all the ICD-9 codes), age of the patient, gender of the patient, and discharge status from the hospital. All services provided in the inpatient care setting are included in the information for each hospital. For services in which there are less than 10 patients, the title “too few patients” will appear.
Data Source - The administrative inpatient data for each hospital is reported to IHA and in turn, IHA reports this data to IDPH.
Methodology – Every inpatient case is assigned a Medicare Severity Diagnostic Related Grouping (MS-DRG) and an MDC. The MDC is the highest level of body system grouping and the MS-DRG identifies like types of medical or surgical conditions within an MDC. For purposes of helping consumers identify what services are provided at each hospital, consumers can view the information by MDC or groups of MS-DRGs. Lengths of stay will vary within groups of MS-DRGs based upon the complication or other conditions of patients that are served. For more information on MS-DRG, please go to http://questions.medicare.gov/cgi-bin/medicare.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=2008&p_created=1206650367
- Hospital Services
Information – The types of services hospitals provide as indicated on the American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey. Hospital services include both inpatient and outpatient and are typically reflective of the community’s needs for targeted health services and social service support. Hospitals update this information annually by completing the AHA Annual Survey.
Data Source – The American Hospital Association administers the survey in coordination with the Illinois Hospital Association and the AHA compiles the results and makes them available to the public.
Methodology – The AHA Annual Survey provides a list of services that hospitals check to indicate that they provide those services to their community. The survey and results are all electronically compiled and made available to the public in print and electronic formats. Detailed information is available at http://www.aha.org/aha/resource-center/Statistics-and-Studies/data-and-directories.html
- Nursing Care
Information – As required under the Illinois Hospital Report Card Act, hospitals are required to submit information on their nursing care hours provided to inpatients (for Hospital Report Card Act rules please refer to http://www.ihatoday.org/Health-Care-Issues/Regulatory/Hosp-Report-Card-Act.aspx ) The results will vary depending upon the number and complexity of patients at each individual hospital. N/A may appear for a clinical service area if a hospital does not have a separate patient care areas for that clinical service area. As some hospitals are undertaking information and system reporting changes, their information may appear as N/A as it was not available for this reporting time period. Please note that rehabilitation patients are included under the medical-surgical clinical area. Hospitals have prepared a narrative that leads into the nurse staff reporting for their hospital.
Data Source – The nursing care data for each hospital is reported to IHA by each hospital and then IHA forwards this information on to IDPH.
Methodology – The methodology for reporting the information follows the requirements as defined in law and in the administrative rules. As the Hospital Report Card Act was passed in 2003, much has changed in terms of patient flow and increasing shifts in services from the inpatient setting to the outpatient setting. Additionally, the increase in observation care cases coupled with more surgical services being provided in the outpatient setting, has led to increased difficulty in separating nurse staff hours. For example, an observation patient on an inpatient unit can be cared for by inpatient nurses and the patient may not transfer to inpatient status – therefore the nursing hours for the observation care patient cannot be assigned to the inpatient reporting of nursing care. There are other scenarios that occur on a daily basis within hospitals that have added to the complexity of being able to clearly assign nurse staff hours to inpatient or outpatient care.
- Hospital Profile
Information – The narrative and contact information on a hospital’s profile page has been provided by each hospital. The information on the right hand side of the page provides a profile of some of the characteristics and resources of the hospital.
Data Source – The narrative and picture of the hospital has been provided by each hospital. The profile characteristics and resources of the hospital are from the American Hospital Association, Illinois Hospital Association, and Illinois Department of Public Health.
Methodology – The information reported on the right side of the profile page is publicly available information and is based upon the hospital information provided by the hospital or through a regulatory oversight organization.
- Caring for Our Community
Information – The information and pictures contained in this area have been prepared by each individual hospital and reflect some of the services they provide to their community and the major role the hospital has in their community.
Data Source – All narratives and pictures were submitted directly from hospitals.
Methodology – Hospitals were asked to prepare information to share with the public on how they care for their community in addition to meeting the community health and hospital needs.
Future Developments
As this is the initial release, Illinois hospitals would like to share additional information in the future with the public. Future information to be shared with the public will include outpatient surgical care; emergency room services; observation care information; infections and preventable steps to avoid infections; hospital outcomes of care; and to the extent possible, cost of care estimates for patients.
Our goal is also to make the web site as friendly as possible for consumers and at the same time providing as much information as possible for their decision-making process. We hope this helps to continue and strengthen the dialogue and conversations between care givers and patients as we all have the same goal in mind – providing the best care available for the patient to achieve the best outcome possible.
If you have suggestions or comments on the web site, we would enjoy hearing from you. Please send us an e-mail at illinoishospitals@ihastaff.org
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