Quality Quarterly

Menopause and Misdiagnosis: A Call for Patient-Centered Safety 

Key Takeaways:  

  • Patients experiencing menopause are at risk for misdiagnosis-related harm. 
  • Patient harm is primarily due to the complexity of symptoms and the stigma that often surrounds discussions of menopause. 
  • Effective and equitable menopause care is an integral part of becoming an age-friendly health system and advancing patient safety. 

    • HQI Examines Prevalence of Behavioral Health Conditions Among California Hospital Encounters 

    Key Takeaways: 

  • Mental health and substance use conditions were found to be more prevalent among inpatient than emergency department (ED) encounters. 
  • Depression and anxiety disorders were found to be the most prevalent mental health diagnoses among both inpatient and ED encounters. 
  • Using both the primary and secondary diagnoses results in a greater prevalence of mental health and substance use disorders. 

    • HQIP Hospital Enrollment & Enhancements

    Key Takeaways: 

  • More than half of all California hospitals now participate in Hospital Quality Improvement Platform (HQIP). Fifty-eight hospitals enrolled in just the last quarter. 
  • Several new reports have been added to HQIP, including sepsis readmissions and missed sepsis opportunities. 
  • HQI is working to help hospitals meet the upcoming Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) Hospital/System Equity Reporting requirements by making a “report in a box” for their use. 

    • Working Together for Patient Safety and Quality Care

    HQI is committed to supporting hospitals in their efforts toward delivering the safest and highest quality care possible. The people you care for depend on you, and you depend on us. But it’s important to remember that HQI depends on you. The data we receive from our members is the foundation for what we do. The more timely and complete the data that’s submitted, the more comprehensive, up-to-date, and actionable our analyses will be.     

    HQI Quality Analytics System Hospital Enrollment and Enhancements 

    Enrollment in the Hospital Quality Improvement Platform (HQIP) jumped substantially in the last quarter due to increased registration among hospitals participating in L.A. Care Health Plan’s Hospital Pay-for-Performance (P4P) incentive program. Recent updates to HQIP include a new report on 30-day Hospital-Wide All-Cause Unplanned Readmission that is more closely based on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) methodology. 

    Safer Care Requires Timely Data  

    Patient safety in health care involves many interacting factors. Some solutions for patient safety that initially appear straightforward may not achieve the desired outcomes. For instance, using soft mats to prevent falls in hospitals can inadvertently increase fall rates by creating tripping hazards, and the material used may harbor bacteria that lead to infections.