Evanston, IL, December 4, 2000 — The HCIA-Sachs Institute today released results of a new study showing that U.S. hospitals could save $117 million annually if they managed the treatment of Medicare stroke patients at the same performance levels as the nation's leading stroke hospitals. Moreover, U.S. hospitals also potentially could avoid an estimated 5,000 inpatient deaths annually, reduce related complications by 36 percent and lengths of stay by 10 percent, and discharge 22 percent more people to their homes rather than to nursing homes.

"Even though stroke management is difficult, the study shows there is a significant opportunity to improve the care and treatment of stroke patients," said Jean Chenoweth, executive director of the HCIA-Sachs Institute, the health care research and education unit of HCIA-Sachs. "As part of the 100 Top Hospitals study program, this research identifies hospitals across the country that set the benchmarks -- the best outcomes for surgical procedures and diseases that affect thousands of people."

The study, "100 Top Hospitals: Stroke Benchmarks for Success," represents the Institute's first comprehensive examination across all hospitals of the number, severity, lengths of stay, costs and outcomes of stroke patients treated annually in the U.S. Moreover, this is among the first-ever naming of the 100 hospitals that have set the benchmarks for stroke care. Separate benchmarks were developed for teaching hospitals with neurology residency programs, teaching hospitals, and community hospitals.

"These stroke outcome benchmarks are achievable, providing a target for many hospitals to improve patient outcome," Chenoweth said. "And by naming the hospitals that have set performance benchmarks, we hope the underlying clinical care and system differences will be identified and shared throughout the industry."

Stroke is an especially troubling and costly life-threatening emergency. Strokes hit an estimated 600,000 Americans annually; approximately one-third of all survivors will have a recurrent stroke within five years. It is the third leading cause of death, killing an estimated 160,000 Americans annually. And given the demographics of an aging U.S. population, incidence of stroke is likely to increase.

"The variance in stroke outcomes across the hospitals is not surprising -- outcomes are directly affected by how fast the patient can reach the hospital for treatment, and by the type of treatment rendered," said Daniel Schultz, M.D., member of the HCIA-Sachs Institute Advisory Board. "In many of the 100 Top Hospitals, formation of stroke treatment teams and community education are focal-points for improving treatment results.

Finding Highlights

• The 100 Top Stroke Hospitals treated twice as many stroke patients as peer hospitals.
  

• Categorically, the benchmark teaching hospitals with neurology residency programs were able to discharge 74 percent of treated stroke patients to their homes rather than to nursing homes, compared to 65 percent of stroke patients treated at peer hospitals

The methodology used to calculate "100 Top Hospitals: Stroke Benchmarks for Success" is based on publicly available Medpar data, and data from HCIA-Sachs' DRG and hospital databases. Each of the hospitals included in the study treated at least 50 patients for ischemic stroke in both 1998 and 1999 and were examined according to six performance measures: 

1. Stroke patient volume

2. Risk-adjusted patient mortality

3. Risk-adjusted patient complications index

4. Severity-adjusted length of stay

5. Wage- and severity-adjusted cost

6. Proportion of stroke patients discharged to home

The 100 Top Hospitals studies provide the benchmarks for performance set by the nation's health care institutions. The objective of the program is to establish annual targets of performance and monitor emerging trends in benchmark information while continually enhancing the methodologies by which health care institutions are evaluated.

The HCIA-Sachs Institute is the research and education division of HCIA-Sachs. The Institute is dedicated to the improvement of the health care industry through improved information. The Institute produces 100 Top Hospitals and Clinical Research Program studies, and publishes white papers - authoritative research reports, often clinical or financial - that explore the impact of legislation, new technologies, and clinical breakthroughs on the health care industry.

Clinical Research Program studies are dedicated to identifying the treatment patterns of 100 Top Hospitals award winners. The Institute produces clinical research studies, in conjunction with its Advisory Board, to improve clinical quality and delivery of care while providing education to the health care community.

HCIA-Sachs, headquartered in Evanston, Ill., leads the health care industry in providing payers, providers, employers, consultants, and pharmaceutical companies with relevant strategic intelligence. HCIA-Sachs supplies clients with effective and innovative solutions for growing revenue, benchmarking and measuring results, and understanding consumers. HCIA-Sachs' solutions are e-enabled to streamline decision making

Note: Study excerpts are available via the Internet at http://www.100TopHospitals.com. For media copies, please follow the media link on the Web site's home page or call 847-475-7526 ext. 2112.

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