Treatment: Receipt of Recommended Care for Pneumonia

Recommended care for patients with pneumonia includes receipt of: 1) initial antibiotics within 4 hours of hospital arrival; 2) antibiotics consistent with current recommendations; 3) blood culture before antibiotics are administered; 4) influenza vaccination; and 5) pneumonia vaccination. The NHQR tracks receipt of this care for each measure and as an overall composite.^ix

Figure 2.27. Medicare patients with pneumonia who received recommended care for pneumonia: overall composite and five components, 2002 and 2003

[D] Select for Text Description.

Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare Quality Improvement Organization Program, 2002 and 2003.

• The overall pneumonia composite measure shows significant improvement in the provision of recommended care for Medicare patients with pneumonia from 54% of the time in 2002 to 59% in 2003.
• All measures showed significant improvement except receipt of blood culture before antibiotics.

^ix The pneumonia composite measure is different from that reported in the 2004 NHQR in that two additional QIO measures are added to the composite. For further details, go to Chapter 1, Introduction and Methods.

Return to Contents