AHRQ: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has developed measures of quality and patient safety by using information found on hospital bills. These measures are considered less reliable than those which are based on intensive review of medical records because the diagnosis and procedure data on bills are not very detailed. However, these measures are very easy and inexpensive to prepare, and they can be one part of an overall review of quality and safety.

“The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Quality Indicators (QIs) are measures of health care quality that make use of readily available hospital inpatient administrative data…. Inpatient QIs reflect quality of care inside hospitals including inpatient mortality for medical conditions and surgical procedures…Patient Safety Indicators also reflect quality of care inside hospitals, but focus on potentially avoidable complications and iatrogenic events.”

Source: www.qualityindicators.ahrq.gov/

Below is a list of all AHRQ measures:

Cardiovascular & Thoracic Care

• Heart Care
  • Angioplasty (PCI) volume 
  • Angioplasty (PCI) mortality, procedure & non-procedure related deaths 
  • Bilateral cardiac catheterization rate 
  • Heart attack mortality 
  • Heart attack mortality, not including patients transferred in 
  • Heart failure mortality 
• Heart Surgery
  • Heart bypass surgery (CABG) volume 
  • Heart bypass surgery (CABG) mortality 
• Thoracic (Chest) Surgery
  • Esophagus surgery volume 
  • Esophagus surgery mortality 
• Vascular (Arteries & Veins) Surgery
  • Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgical repair volume 
  • Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair mortality 
  • Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) volume 
  • Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) mortality 

Medical Care

• Pneumonia Care
  • Pneumonia mortality rate 
• Stroke
  •  Stroke mortality 

Pregnancy & Newborn Care

• Newborn Care
  • Infant injury during delivery 
• Obstetrics (Pregnancy Care)
  • Cesarean (C-Section) delivery volume 
  • Cesarean delivery (C-Section) rate 
  • Cuts and lacerations during normal delivery with instruments 
  • Cuts and lacerations during normal delivery without instruments 
  • Vaginal birth after Cesarean (uncomplicated) 
  • Vaginal birth after Cesarean (VBAC) rate 

Safe Care & Complications

• Complications
  • Accidental puncture or cut during surgery 
  • Appendix removal in the elderly 
  • Bleeding or bruising following surgery 
  • Blood clot after surgery  
  • Blood transfusion reaction 
  • Brain surgery (craniotomy) mortality  
  • Death among patients with usually low-mortality conditions 
  • Death among surgical inpatients with serious treatable complications 
  • Diabetic or kidney problems following surgery 
  • Equipment left in the body during surgical procedure 
  • Gastrointestinal bleeding mortality 
  • Iatrogenic pneumothorax (lung injury due to medical care)
  • Laparoscopic gallbladder removal rate 
  • Respiratory failure after surgery
  • Wound reopening after surgery  
• Infection
  • Central venous catheter-related bloodstream infections
  • Sepsis after surgery 
• Nursing Care
  • Bedsores 

General Surgery

• Pancreas Surgery
  • Pancreas surgery volume 
  • Pancreas surgery mortality 
• Orthopaedics (Hip) Surgery
  • Hip fracture following surgery 
  • Hip fracture mortality 
  • Hip replacement mortality