Pnuemonia: Prevention
Pneumococcal Vaccinations
What are we measuring?
The percent of patients over 65 assessed and given the pneumococcal vaccine.
Why is this important?
The pneumococcal vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of a serious pneumonia infection by as much as 75%. Since approximately two-thirds of patients hospitalized with serious pneumonia infections have been previously hospitalized at least once during the past five years, inpatient hospitalization represents an opportune time to provide screening and immunization against pneumonia.
What is our performance telling us?
BIDMC reports its performance on this measure every quarter to the US Department of Health & Human Services, which posts this information on its website at Hospital Compare. The chart below shows BIDMC’s most recent quarterly performance, compared to the performance of the nation’s Top 10% hospitals. Look for big differences in the scores in order to be sure the difference is meaningful. Small differences may not reflect real differences in performance (i.e., they may not be statistically significant).
Source of comparison data: Hospital Compare, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, October, 2011.
View our past performance over time.
According to HospitalCompare, 100% of patients with pneumonia at the nation's Top 10% of hospitals were assessed and given a pneumonia vaccine. At BIDMC, 95% of patients with pneumonia were assessed and given the pneumonia vaccine. Therefore, BIDMC's performance is below the nation's Top 10% of hospitals for giving pneumonia vaccination.
What are we doing to improve our performance?
A computerized provider order entry (CPOE) program for vaccinating patients has been designed for screening and immunization to occur for all patients over 65 years of age that are hospitalized at BIDMC. When a patient is admitted to the hospital the computer prompts the clinician to address the patient's immunization status and provide vaccinations for those who have not been immunized previously. Recent changes to the program have been made to ensure that the assessment occurs during every admission to the hospital.
Advice to Stop Smoking
What are we measuring?
Percent of pneumonia patients given smoking cessation advice counseling.
Why is this important?
Pneumonia patients who stop smoking have a better prognosis than those who do not quit. By counseling patients to quit at a time when they are likely to be receptive to this message, hospitals can help them reduce their risk of getting pneumonia again.
What does our performance tell us?
BIDMC reports its performance on this measure every quarter to the US Department of Health & Human Services, which posts this information on its website at Hospital Compare. The chart below shows BIDMC’s most recent quarterly performance, compared to the performance of the nation’s Top 10% hospitals. Look for big differences in the scores in order to be sure the difference is meaningful. Small differences may not reflect real differences in performance (i.e., they may not be statistically significant).
Source of comparison data: Hospital Compare, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, October, 2011.
View our past performance over time.
According to Hospital Compare, 100% of patients with pneumonia at the nation's Top 10% of hospitals are given smoking cessation advice and counseling. At BIDMC, 100% of patients with pneumonia are given smoking cessation advice and counseling. Therefore, BIDMC's performance is among the nation's Top 10% of hospitals for giving smoking cessation/advice counseling to pneumonia patients.
What are we doing to improve our performance?
BIDMC physicians and nurses are working to provide patients with advice to stop smoking during their hospital stay and at the time of discharge. The assessment and documentation systems for patients in critical care areas are being updated to include more specific detail about smoking history. This will help identify the need to provide smoking cessation counseling to patients and/or their caregivers.
Other useful measures on pneumonia care:
Last updated: January 2, 2012
