Heart Failure
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart muscle weakens, and can’t pump blood efficiently. Because the “pump” is failing, it can cause blood to “back up,” which results in congestion. Congestion leads to fluid build up in the lungs and other body tissues.
About five million patients in the United States have HF, and more than 550,000 patients are newly diagnosed with HF each year. It is primarily a condition of the elderly; more Medicare dollars are spent for the diagnosis and treatment of HF than for any other diagnosis.
The goal in treating heart failure is to understand the level of “pump failure” through certain tests, and then to treat the condition using drugs that are very effective in assisting the heart to pump better. Another treatment goal is make sure patients eat a healthy diet, which will reduce fluid build up, in the body’s tissues, and to be well educated about the signs and symptoms of congestion. These measures show some of the standards of care provided for most adults with heart failure.
Key
| At or better than U.S. National average | |
| Near National average | |
| Room for Improvement |
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Blue Ribbon = best possible value |
Additional information is available by clicking the links highlighted in blue.
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Nassau University Medical Center
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| Hospital Quality Measures |
NUMC
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National Average
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Heart Failure Mortality Rate
July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2017 |
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Risk-AdjustedTo calculate the hospital death rates and rates of readmission, Medicare uses a complex statistical procedure. The rates are ” risk-adjusted, ” meaning that the calculations take into account how sick patients were when they went in for their initial hospital stay. When rates are risk-adjusted, it means that hospitals that usually take care of sicker patients won’t have a worse rate just because their patients were sicker when they arrived at the hospital. When rates are risk-adjusted, it helps make comparisons fair and meaningful |
Heart Failure 30-Day Mortality Rate |
11.7
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Heart Failure Readmissions Rate
July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2017 |
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Risk-AdjustedTo calculate the hospital death rates and rates of readmission, Medicare uses a complex statistical procedure. The rates are ” risk-adjusted, ” meaning that the calculations take into account how sick patients were when they went in for their initial hospital stay. When rates are risk-adjusted, it means that hospitals that usually take care of sicker patients won’t have a worse rate just because their patients were sicker when they arrived at the hospital. When rates are risk-adjusted, it helps make comparisons fair and meaningful |
Heart Failure 30-Day Readmissions Rate |
21.7
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