Relationship of a quality measure composite to clinical outcomes for patients with heart failure.
BACKGROUND
To determine whether compliance with heart failure performance measures (HFPMs) is associated with short-term outcome benefit.


METHODS
In a cohort study, 194 patients satisfying all the HFPMs for which they were eligible were compared with 206 controls. Over 6 months, time to death and first all-cause readmission data were collected. Data were adjusted for differences in comorbidities, medications, and demographics in a multivariate model.


RESULTS
There was no difference in 6-month mortality between the 2 groups. Adjusted time to death or all-cause hospitalization (hazard ratio [HR], 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58-0.97; P = .03) and all-cause hospitalization (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.57-0.97; P = .03) were shorter for the study group compared with control, whereas there was no difference in time to death (HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.66-1.11; P = .24).


CONCLUSIONS
Adherence to a composite of HFPM appears to be related to a reduction in all-cause readmissions for patients with HF but not short-term mortality.
Christ Hospital and the Ohio Heart and Vascular Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. chunge@ohioheart.org
Eugene S
ES
Chung
Lin Guo
Donald E
DE
Casey
Cheryl
C
Bartone
Santosh
S
Menon
Syed
S
Saghir
Anubhav
A
Mital
Dean J
DJ
Kereiakes
D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*