Newsroom & Reports

HQI Analysis Finds 10% Spike in Emergency Treatment for Gout

According to new research from HQI, the number of gout cases treated in California emergency departments increased in 2023, particularly among men aged 60-74. Gout — arthritis from high uric acid, causing joint pain and swelling — is often triggered by red meat, seafood; treatment involves diet changes and medication.   

Prostate Cancer Discharges Hit Six-Year High

Following significant disruption in patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic, prostate cancer discharges have rebounded to the highest level in nearly a decade. After a drop of 7% in 2020, discharges bounced back in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, however, discharges increased 11% above the previous average (excluding 2020). 

Uncovering the True Impact of ‘No Harm’ in Patient Safety Events

Key Points: 

  • The Collaborative Healthcare Patient Safety Organization (CHPSO) has seen dramatic improvement in reducing unclassified events on its platform, dropping from 16.8% in 2022 to just 6.9% in 2024. 
  • Even when patients experience additional suffering, extended recovery, or psychological trauma, these impacts are frequently mislabeled as “no harm” if they do not result in catastrophic outcomes. 
  • Harm misclassification skews safety data and masks the true burden of harm.  
  • CMS Patient Safety Structural Measure Reporting Begins This Year — HQI Can Help

    This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.

    Key Points:  

  • The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) new Patient Safety Structural Measure is intended to improve hospital safety by focusing on structural elements that support a culture of safety. 
  • PSSM reporting begins in calendar year (CY) 2025. 
  • The Hospital Quality Institute’s (HQI’s) program HQI Cares: Implementing BETA HEART® helps hospitals meet this new requirement.  
  • Analysis Paper: How Methodological Choices Affect California’s 30-Day Hospital Readmission Rates

    Key Points: 

  • The calculation of 30-day hospital-wide all-cause readmission rates varies significantly across organizations due to differences in inclusion/exclusion criteria, data sources, and operational definitions. For example, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) uses both encounter and claims data, while the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) and the Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) rely on patient-level encounter data only.  
  • HQI’s adherence to CMS methodologies results in higher alignment with national benchmarks, whereas HCAI’s broader criteria — such as counting all readmissions within 30 days and crediting readmitting facilities — lead to inflated statewide rates and potential inconsistencies for benchmarking.  
  • HQI’s methodology, closely mirroring CMS standards, supports standardized benchmarking and state-level policy decisions, whereas HCAI’s approach, while operationally useful, lacks consistency for broader comparative analyses.  
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