On July 7, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new outpatient surgical measure applicable to anesthesiologists to be added to its Hospital Compare website. The measure is called “Antibiotic Timing” and is described by CMS as “Percentage of outpatients having surgery who were given the right kind of antibiotic at the right time (within one hour before surgery) to help prevent infection of surgical wounds.” This measure is already in place for inpatient data and will be used in conjunction to obtain a more comprehensive view of the quality of care being provided in hospitals.
Please visit the links below to access press releases by HHS and CMS regarding these new measures.