MEMORIALCARE LONG BEACH MEDICAL CENTER
1. Top 10 Disparities
The following table lists the ten largest health equity disparities identified for this reporting period.
Disparities for each hospital equity measure are identified by comparing the rate ratios by stratification groups. Rate ratios are calculated differently for measures with preferred low rates and those with preferred high rates. Rate ratios are calculated after applying the California Health and Human Services Agency's "Data De-Identification Guidelines (DDG)," dated September 23, 2016.
The table below highlights the ten widest health equity disparities identified by hospitals and hospital systems during this reporting period. Measure names have been shortened for display purposes. To view each measure in full, please download the complete Hospital Equity Report using the link below.
| Measure | Stratification | Stratification Group | Stratification Group Rate | Reference Group | Reference Rate | Rate Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Preferred Language | Spanish Language | 9.6% | English Language | 9.2% | 2.10 |
|
2.
AHRQ PSI surgical death rate
|
Sex Assigned at Birth | Female | 328.1% | Male | 191.0% | 1.70 |
|
3.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Age (excluding maternal measures) | 35 to 49 | 10.5% | 18 to 34 | 6.5% | 1.60 |
|
4.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Age (excluding maternal measures) | 50 to 64 | 10.1% | 18 to 34 | 6.5% | 1.60 |
|
5.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Expected Payor | Medicare | 10.2% | Private | 6.6% | 1.50 |
|
6.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Expected Payor | Medicaid | 10.0% | Private | 6.6% | 1.50 |
|
7.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Age (excluding maternal measures) | 65 and older | 9.5% | 18 to 34 | 6.5% | 1.50 |
|
8.
AHRQ PSI surgical death rate
|
Race and/or Ethnicity | White | 333.3% | Hispanic or Latino | 233.3% | 1.40 |
|
9.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Race and/or Ethnicity | Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 11.5% | White | 8.5% | 1.40 |
|
10.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Race and/or Ethnicity | White | 8.5% | White | 8.5% | 1.30 |
2. Equity Plan
MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center is dedicated to continuously analyzing, evaluating, and adapting strategies to evaluate disparities in care and improve processes affecting those populations. Through this process, 30-day unplanned readmissions for our Black or African American, Asian, Medicaid, Medicare, 50- to 64-year-olds, 35- to 49-year-olds, and 65 and older populations have been identified as an opportunity for improvement. Our leadership teams have committed to engaging a multidisciplinary team to evaluate improvement strategies. This team has developed the following strategies to address 30-day unplanned readmissions:
• Identify patients at high-risk for readmission and work with those patients to address potential barriers to continued care post-hospitalization. Ensure access to prescription medications, pre-arrange follow-up appointments, create a structure post-discharge follow-up plan including telephone calls or home visits, particularly during the first days and weeks post-discharge to address potential complications early.
• Ensure that patients at high-risk for readmission have an enhanced discharge plan including patient education tailored to their needs and information on their medication regime and follow-up care using clear, culturally and linguistically appropriate communication methods, including "teach-back." Prior to discharge, conduct medication reconciliation to prevent discrepancies and support adherence, as adverse drug events remain a leading cause of readmissions. Finally, connect patients with community resources that address social determinants of health, including transportation, housing, and food security, through collaboration with social workers and local organizations.
The multidisciplinary team will track and trend readmissions for the impacted populations over a 12-month period with an aim of reducing readmissions by 5%.
MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center has also identified opportunity to improve care for the Patient Safety Indicator: Death Rate among Surgical Inpatients with Serious Treatable Conditions in females, Medicare patients, and those ages 65 and older. Our leadership teams have committed to engaging a multidisciplinary team to evaluate improvement strategies. This team has developed the following strategies to address Death Rate among Surgical Inpatients with Serious Treatable Conditions for the impacted populations:
• Establish a review process to ensure that PSI data, particularly for surgical inpatients with serious treatable complications, is stratified by gender (specifically female patients), payer (Medicare patients), and age (patients 65 and older), to identify areas for targeted interventions. Collaborate with service-line and hospital leaders to develop and implement targeted action plans.
• Promote a robust patient safety culture emphasizing teamwork, communication, error reporting, and continuous improvement through the implementation of a high-reliability framework, including training for all staff.
The multidisciplinary team will track and trend Death Rate among Surgical Inpatients with Serious Treatable Conditions for the impacted populations over a 12-month period with an aim of reducing Death Rate among Surgical Inpatients with Serious Treatable Conditions by 5%.
3. Structural Measures
| Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Commitment to Health Equity Structural (HCHE) Measure | Yes/No |
|---|---|
Our hospital system strategic plan identifies priority populations who currently experience health disparities |
Yes |
Our hospital system strategic plan identifies healthcare equity goals and discrete action steps to achieve these goals |
Yes |
Our hospital system strategic plan outlines specific resources that have been dedicated to achieving our equity goals |
Yes |
Our hospital system strategic plan describes our approach for engaging key stakeholders, such as community-based organizations |
Yes |
Our hospital strategic plan identifies healthcare equity goals and discrete action steps to achieve these goals |
Yes |
Our hospital system has training for staff in culturally sensitive collection of demographics and/or social determinant of health information |
Yes |
Our hospital system inputs demographic and/or social determinant of health information collected from patients into structured, interoperable data elements using a certified EHR technology |
Yes |
Our hospital system stratifies key performance indicators by demographic and/or social determinants of health variables to identify equity gaps and includes this information in hospital performance dashboards |
Yes |
Our hospital system participates in local, regional or national quality improvement activities focused on reducing health disparities |
Yes |
Our hospital system senior leadership, including chief executives and the entire hospital board of trustees, annually reviews our strategic plan for achieving health equity |
Yes |
Our hospital system senior leadership, including chief executives and the entire hospital board of trustees, annually reviews key performance indicators stratified by demographic and/or social factors |
Yes |
4. Web Address for Equity Report
5. Download Equity Measures Report
Click on the link below to download the equity measures report.
Click on the link below to download all equity measures reports.