Health
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Every year, Healthgrades evaluates hospital performance at nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide for 32 of the most common inpatient procedures and conditions using Medicare data, and additional analyzes outcomes in appendectomy and bariatric surgery using all-payer data provided by 16 states.
This analysis shows that patients treated at hospitals receiving a 5-star rating have a lower risk of dying and a lower risk of experiencing one or more complications during a hospital stay than if they were treated at hospitals receiving a 1-star rating in that procedure or condition.
From 2017 through 2019, if all hospitals as a group performed similarly to hospitals receiving 5-stars as a group, on average, 218,785 lives could potentially have been saved and complications in 148,681 patients could potentially have been avoided.*
For the 2021 Report to the Nation, Healthgrades compared hospitals with statistically better than expected performance (5-stars), as a group, to those with statistically worse than expected performance (1-star), as a group, and found from 2017 to 2019, patients treated for sepsis in hospitals with 5-stars for in-hospital mortality have, on average:
– 38.9 percent lower risk of dying than if they were treated in hospitals with 1-star for in-house mortality.
– From 2017 to 2019, patients treated for sepsis in hospitals with 1-star for in-hospital mortality are, on average: 1.6 times more likely to die than if they were treated in hospitals with 5-stars for in-hospital mortality.
The statistics are based on Healthgrades analysis of MedPAR data for years 2017 through 2019 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only.
“Hospital quality has never been more important, and consumers are becoming more aware of the importance of researching where they receive care before they visit a hospital for a specific procedure or condition,” said Brad Bowman, MD, chief medical officer at Healthgrades. “Hospitals that receive a Healthgrades 5-star rating for treatment of sepsis demonstrate exceptional outcomes and their ability to provide quality care for patients.”
“Adventist Health Clear Lake is committed to quality care for all our patients and we are proud of the work our team has done in the treatment of sepsis,” said Colleen Assavapisitkul, patient experience officer at Adventist Health Clear Lake. “We are constantly working to implement best practices and improve our treatment processes and this award is evidence of our success.”
AHCL was also recognized for the following clinical achievements.
Adventist Health Clear Lake has been recognized with four stars by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, based on safety, effective care and patient experience.
CMS awarded four stars to just 1,136 hospitals nationwide. We are proud of our team’s commitment to provide exceptional care for our community and for each family that trusts us for care when they need it most.
Adventist Health Clear Lake is one of 12 medical centers out of 450 in the Premier Hospital Engagement Network to receive CMS recognition as top performer in 6 or more measures in a pilot program, Partnership for Patients.
Cal Hospital Compare recognized Adventist Health Clear Lake for their high performance in maternity care and commitment to safe opioid care for the third year in a row (2017, 2018, 2019).
Adventist Health Clear Lake was 1 of 134 hospitals on the Maternity Honor Roll and 1 of 60 on the Opioid Care Honor Roll. Honor Roll recognition highlights Adventist Health Clear Lake’s work in reducing births by C-section for first-time mothers with low-risk pregnancies and programs designed to increased access to addiction treatment for hospitalized patients and reduction of opioid-related deaths.
For its analysis, Healthgrades evaluated approximately 45 million Medicare inpatient records for nearly 4,500 short-term acute care hospitals nationwide to assess hospital performance in 32 common conditions and procedures, and evaluated outcomes in appendectomy and bariatric surgery using all-payer data provided by 16 states.
Healthgrades recognizes a hospital’s quality achievements for cohort-specific performance, specialty area performance, and overall clinical quality. Individual procedure or condition cohorts are designated as 5-star (statistically significantly better than expected), 3-star (not statistically different from expected) and 1-star (statistically significantly worse than expected).
The complete Healthgrades 2021 Report to the Nation and detailed study methodology, can be found at https://partners.healthgrades.com/healthgrades-quality-solutions/healthgrades-quality-awards/.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
“Covered California is a critical safety net to help people get quality health care coverage during the surging pandemic and ongoing recession,” said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California. “With our first enrollment deadline coming up this week, we want to encourage anyone who needs coverage to check out their options and sign up so they can start the New Year with protection and peace of mind.”
In response to the pandemic, Covered California extended the enrollment deadline to receive Jan. 1 coverage from Dec. 15 to Wednesday, Dec. 30.
Consumers who sign up by Dec. 30 will need to pay their first bill in order to have their coverage take effect on Jan. 1.
Right now, an estimated 1.2 million Californians are uninsured — even though they are eligible for financial help through Covered California, or they qualify for low-cost or no-cost coverage through Medi-Cal. That includes 139,000 people in Northern California and the Sacramento Valley.
Of those eligible for subsidies, more than half – 650,000 – are believed to be Latino, while 367,000 are Caucasian, 89,000 are Asian, 67,000 are African American and 29,000 are listed as “other.”
Financial help lowers costs for consumers
Roughly nine out of every 10 consumers who enroll through Covered California receive financial assistance — in the form of federal tax credits, state subsidies, or both — which helps make health care more affordable.
California’s state subsidies, which first became available in 2020, are benefiting nearly 600,000 consumers — including more than 41,000 middle-income consumers who had previously been ineligible for financial help because they exceeded the federal income requirements.
“Most of the people who are uninsured either do not know they are eligible for financial assistance, or they have not checked recently to see how affordable quality coverage can be,” Lee said. “No one should wait to sign up, and we are extending the deadline through Dec. 30 to give all of us more time to spread the word and make sure our family and friends have health insurance during this pandemic.”
The latest data shows that, with the combination of federal tax credits and state subsidies, the average consumer receiving financial help paid an average of $127 per month for their coverage (with federal and state assistance reducing their costs by $454 or nearly 80 percent).
Get covered, stay covered
Covered California is urging consumers to “get covered” — not only with quality health insurance coverage, but also with a mask and vaccine when they become available.
Covered California mailed masks to 1.5 million enrollees and asked consumers to take all necessary precautions to help prevent the spread of the virus, while sharing the news about open enrollment.
“Getting covered with a mask will help protect Californians and their families and friends; getting covered with a health plan will help protect people if they get sick,” Lee said. “Covered California helps you get access to some of the best doctors and health care facilities in the country, and provides peace of mind during these challenging times where there is so much uncertainty.”
Shop and compare
Those interested in applying for coverage can explore their options — and find out whether they are eligible for financial help — in just a few minutes by using the Shop and Compare Tool at CoveredCA.com. All they need to do is enter their ZIP code, household income and the ages of those who need coverage to find out which plans are available in their area.
“Do not wait until the last minute, or let Wednesday’s deadline go past, without checking your options,” Lee said. “In only a few minutes at CoveredCA.com, you can see which plans are available in your area and whether you qualify for financial help to bring the price of coverage within reach.”
The state individual mandate penalty will also return for 2021. Consumers who can afford health care coverage, but choose to go without, could pay a penalty when they file their state taxes in 2022. The penalty is administered by California’s Franchise Tax Board, and could be as much as $2,250 for a family of four.
Getting help enrolling
Consumers interested in learning more about their coverage options can:
– Visit www.CoveredCA.com.
– Get free and confidential in-person assistance, in a variety of languages, from a certified enroller.
– Have a certified enroller call them and help them for free.
– Call Covered California at 800-300-1506.
- Details
- Written by: Covered California
The unprecedented move comes as COVID-19 infections and deaths surge throughout the state.
“The pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on all of our lives, and Covered California wants to give those who need health insurance as much time as possible to sign up and get coverage that starts on Jan. 1,” said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California. “We know there are more than 1.2 million Californians who are uninsured right now, even though they are eligible to receive financial assistance to help to pay for their coverage, and giving them more time is the right thing to do.
Consumers who sign up by Dec. 30 will need to pay their first bill in order to have their coverage take effect on Jan. 1. Covered California also wants to note that consumers will continue to see and hear television, radio and print ads that communicate a Dec. 15 deadline over the next few days, and they should ignore that deadline given today’s announcement of an extension.
“Most of the people who are uninsured either do not know they are eligible for financial assistance, or they have not checked recently to see how affordable quality coverage can be,” Lee said. “No one should wait to sign up, and we are extending the deadline through Dec. 30 to give all of us more time to spread the word and make sure our family and friends have health insurance during this pandemic.”
An estimated 1.2 million uninsured people in the state are either eligible for financial help through Covered California, or they qualify for low-cost or no-cost coverage through Medi-Cal.
Covered California said the uninsured who are eligible for help include 139,000 residents of Northern California and the Sacramento Valley and 122,000 in the greater Bay Area.
Of those eligible for subsidies, more than half — 650,000 — are believed to be Latino.
“We want everyone to have their coverage in place, and ready for them when they need it, as early as possible,” Lee said.
Roughly nine out of every 10 consumers who enroll through Covered California receive financial assistance — in the form of federal tax credits, state subsidies, or both — which helps make health care more affordable.
California’s state subsidies, which first became available in 2020, are benefiting nearly 600,000 consumers — including more than 41,000 middle-income consumers who had previously been ineligible for financial help because they exceeded the federal income requirements.
The latest data shows that, with the combination of federal tax credits and state subsidies, the average consumer receiving financial help paid an average of $127 per month for their coverage (with federal and state assistance reducing their costs by $454 or nearly 80 percent).
The state subsidies are only available to eligible consumers through Covered California. The amount of financial help consumers receive will vary depending on their age, their annual household income and the cost of health care in their region.
Shop and compare
Those interested in applying for coverage can explore their options — and find out whether they are eligible for financial help — in just a few minutes by using the Shop and Compare Tool at www.CoveredCA.com. All they need to do is enter their ZIP code, household income and the ages of those who need coverage to find out which plans are available in their area.
Covered California has already begun to see high call volumes and is encouraging consumers to act now and not wait until the end of the month to sign up.
“Do not wait until the last minute, or let this deadline go past, without checking your options,” Lee said. “In only a few minutes at CoveredCA.com, you can see which plans are available in your area and whether you qualify for financial help to bring the price of coverage within reach.”
Getting help enrolling
Consumers interested in learning more about their coverage options can:
– Visit www.CoveredCA.com.
– Get free and confidential in-person assistance, in a variety of languages, from a certified enroller.
– Have a certified enroller call them and help them for free.
– Call Covered California at 800-300-1506.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The virtual event will include remarks from Steven Herber, MD, president and Timothy Lyons, MD, chief medical officer and Debby Hobbs, MD, an admitting hospitalist and community member.
The presentations will include a glimpse into who was behind the reopening efforts and how Adventist Health is prepared to face COVID-19.
This will be followed by celebratory events on the campus to honor the team and recognize the power of everyone working together towards the goal of reopening and resuming patient care.
Dr. Herber commented how important it is for doctors, nurses and staff to celebrate this milestone, because everyone worked so hard and they were motivated by one common goal – getting back to our patients.
“After thousands of hours of planning, hard work and a long arduous process that would make even the most patient person take a deep breath, this team deserves to be recognized. It feels great knowing that tomorrow the staff will be back together to stand ready to help our patients and community, especially during this critical time as we all face the crisis of COVID-19,” Dr. Herber said.
Adventist Health St. Helena Operations Executive Hoda Assadian added that this process was all-consuming. “Our teams have been working 24/7 to make the necessary repairs to our systems, deep cleaning the entire facility from top to bottom, replacing all supplies, flushing out the water system and removing debris. Getting all of the intricate systems and equipment cleaned, tested, retested and calibrated were onerous tasks critical to the reopening plan. We’re happy to report this hospital is now better than ever, and it’s been certified by officials that we’re safe and ready to reopen tomorrow at 7 a.m.,” Assadian said.
Despite the resources required to reopen the hospital, Adventist Health hasn’t stopped there. Their team has been busy taking care of the needs of the community with its clinics in Napa, St. Helena and Calistoga and its mobile health program.
Mobi, the mobile health unit provides access to primary care and COVID-19 testing via a mobile health van that travels to various locations throughout Napa Valley. Information about the mobile unit’s schedule is available at www.facebook.com/ahsthelena or www.facebook.com/sthelenahospitalfoundation.
Adventist Health also launched free counseling to help residents deal with stress of COVID-19 and the wildfire.
Together with SyncTALK, by Synchronous Health, the counseling service connects participants to a licensed counselor who can help residents deal with the stress and anxiety they might be feeling.
The offer includes four free sessions, each 30 minutes long, and they’re held virtually via phone or video. Residents interested in receiving this care can visit https://sync.health/napa-valley for more information or to schedule a session.
How to resolve AdBlock issue?