Section 128750 Of Part 5. Health Data From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 107. >> Part 5.
128750
. (a) Prior to the public release of the annual outcome
reports, the office shall furnish a preliminary report to each
hospital that is included in the report. The office shall allow the
hospital and chief of staff 60 days to review the outcome scores and
compare the scores to other California hospitals. A hospital or its
chief of staff that believes that the risk-adjusted outcomes do not
accurately reflect the quality of care provided by the hospital may
submit a statement to the office, within the 60 days, explaining why
the outcomes do not accurately reflect the quality of care provided
by the hospital. The statement shall be included in an appendix to
the public report, and a notation that the hospital or its chief of
staff has submitted a statement shall be displayed wherever the
report presents outcome scores for the hospital.
(b) (1) Prior to the public release of any outcome report that
includes data by a physician, the office shall furnish a preliminary
report to each physician that is included in the report. The office
shall allow the physician 30 days from the date the office sends the
report to the physician to review the outcome scores and compare the
scores to other California physicians. A physician who believes that
the risk-adjusted outcome does not accurately reflect the quality of
care provided by the physician may submit a statement to the office
within the 30 days, explaining why the outcomes do not accurately
reflect the quality of care provided by the physician.
(2) The office shall promptly review the physician's statement and
shall respond to the physician with one of the following
conclusions:
(A) The physician's statement reveals a flaw in the accuracy of
the reported data relating to the physician that materially
diminishes the validity of the report. If this finding is made, the
data for that physician shall not be included in the report until the
flaw in the physician's data is corrected.
(B) The physician's statement reveals a flaw in the
risk-adjustment model that materially diminishes the value of the
report for all physicians. If this finding is made, the report using
that risk-adjustment model shall not be issued until the flaw is
corrected.
(C) The physician's statement does not reveal a flaw in either the
accuracy of the reported data relating to the physician or the
risk-adjustment model in which case the report shall be used, unless
the physician chooses to use the procedure set forth in paragraph
(3).
(3) If a physician is not satisfied with the conclusion reached by
the office, the physician shall notify the office of that fact. Upon
receipt of the notice, the office shall forward the physician's
statement to the appropriate clinical panel appointed pursuant to
Section 128748. The office shall forward the physician's statement
with any information identifying the physician or the physician's
hospital redacted, or shall adopt other means to ensure the physician'
s identity is not revealed to the panel. The clinical panel shall
promptly review the physician statement and the conclusion of the
office and shall respond by either upholding the conclusion or
reaching one of the other conclusions set forth in this subdivision.
The panel decision shall be the final determination regarding the
physician's statement. The process set forth in this subdivision
shall be completed within 60 days from the date the office sends the
report to each physician included in the report. If a decision by
either the office or the clinical panel cannot be reached within the
60-day period, then the outcome report may be issued but shall not
include data for the physician submitting the statement.
(c) The office shall, in addition to public reports, provide
hospitals and the chiefs of staff of the medical staffs with a report
containing additional detailed information derived from data
summarized in the public outcome reports as an aid to internal
quality assurance.
(d) If, pursuant to the recommendations of the office, the
Legislature subsequently amends Section 128735 to authorize the
collection of additional discharge data elements, then the outcome
reports for conditions and procedures for which sufficient data is
not available from the current abstract record will be produced
following the collection and analysis of the additional data
elements.
(e) The recommendations of the office for the addition of data
elements to the discharge abstract should take into consideration the
technical feasibility of developing reliable risk-adjustment factors
for additional procedures and conditions as determined by the office
with the advice of the research community, physicians and surgeons,
hospitals, consumer or patient advocacy groups, and medical records
personnel.
(f) The office at a minimum shall identify a limited set of core
clinical data elements to be collected for all of the added
procedures and conditions and unique clinical variables necessary for
risk adjustment of specific conditions and procedures selected for
the outcomes report program. In addition, the committee should give
careful consideration to the costs associated with the additional
data collection and the value of the specific information to be
collected.
(g) The office shall also engage in a continuing process of data
development and refinement applicable to both current and prospective
outcome studies.