The Sarasota Herald-Tribune‘s David Gulliver was among several reporters who reported earlier this year about the U.S. Health and Human Services’ release of a new component of its Hospital Compare database – the results of a patient satisfaction survey announced at Health Journalism 2008 in March. He recently followed up using updated data in a more comprehensive story, analyzing all three components of the Hospital Compare database – “process” measures, or accepted standards of care; the patient survey; and “outcome” measures – the percentage of patients who died within 30 days of admission from heart attack, heart failure or pneumonia. HHS now updates the patient survey data quarterly, and AHCJ has made it easier for journalists to make their own comparisons. AHCJ has begun generating spreadsheet files, allowing members to use spreadsheet or database software with precision. AHCJ provides key documentation and explanatory material to help you understand the data possibilities and limits.
