The Role of Socioeconomic Status in Hospital Outcomes Measures
Authors: Alan M. Zaslavsky, Ashish K. Jha
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2015)

Letters5 May 2015The Role of Socioeconomic Status in Hospital Outcomes MeasuresAlan M. Zaslavsky, PhD and Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPHAlan M. Zaslavsky, PhDFrom Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this author and Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPHFrom Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L15-5087 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Krumholz and Bernheim propose several arguments against adjustment of quality measures for socioeconomic status (SES) factors that might affect outcomes (1). First, SES effects are not large compared with overall quality differences among hospitals or the potential for improvement. Although this may be true in many cases, it is the wrong standard: Adjustment, or the failure to adjust, could still have significant implications, especially for hospitals with large proportions of disadvantaged patients. Second, Krumholz and Bernheim argue that acquisition and analysis of data required for SES adjustment may be difficult. Although collecting such data certainly has challenges, ...References1. Krumholz HM, Bernheim SM. Considering the role of socioeconomic status in hospital outcomes measures [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2014;161:833-4. [PMID: 25437411] doi:10.7326/M14-2308 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Perrin E, Ver Ploeg M. Eliminating Health Disparities: Measurement and Data Needs. Washington, DC: National Academies Pr; 2004. Google Scholar3. Kind AJ, Jencks S, Brock J, Yu M, Bartels C, Ehlenbach W, et al. Neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and 30-day rehospitalization: a retrospective cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2014;161:765-74. [PMID: 25437404] doi:10.7326/M13-2946 LinkGoogle Scholar4. Jha AK, Zaslavsky AM. Quality reporting that addresses disparities in health care. JAMA. 2014;312:225-6. [PMID: 25027134] doi:10.1001/jama.2014.7204 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L15-0096. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoConsidering the Role of Socioeconomic Status in Hospital Outcomes Measures Harlan M. Krumholz and Susannah M. Bernheim Considering the Role of Socioeconomic Status in Hospital Outcomes Measures Harlan M. Krumholz and Susannah M. Bernheim The Role of Socioeconomic Status in Hospital Outcomes Measures Harlan M. Krumholz and Susannah M. Bernheim The Role of Socioeconomic Status in Hospital Outcomes Measures Harlan M. Krumholz and Susannah M. Bernheim Metrics 5 May 2015Volume 162, Issue 9Page: 669-670KeywordsData acquisitionDisclosureMotivationPopulation statisticsQuality improvementResearch reporting guidelines ePublished: 5 May 2015 Issue Published: 5 May 2015 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2015 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...