title: Quality improvement in the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure by participating Indiana and Kentucky hospitals.
abstract: Acute-care hospitals in Kentucky and Indiana collaborated with Health Care Excel, the Medicare peer review organization, to improve the care of patients admitted with heart failure. Current guidelines for the treatment of heart failure support a focus on quality indicators including confirmation of diagnosis, choice of therapeutic agents, education of patients and their caregivers, and discharge planning. Significant improvement occurred in use of diagnostic tests to confirm diagnosis and in patient education and discharge planing. Improvement in use of therapeutic agents was minimal or lacking in most hospitals. This project demonstrated an opportunity and need for continued improvement efforts in the care of heart failure patients.
authors.affiliation: Health Care Excel, Inc., USA.
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Caldwell
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pritchard
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Lewis
mesh_terms: D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003625:Data Collection; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007196:Indiana; D007629:Kentucky; D006278:Medicare / Q000592:standards; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011366:Professional Review Organizations; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D014481:United States