Advertisement
Clinical research| Volume 27, ISSUE 6, P756-762, November 2011

Download started.

Ok

Achieving Quality Indicator Benchmarks and Potential Impact on Coronary Heart Disease Mortality

Published:September 15, 2011DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2011.06.005

      Abstract

      Background

      Quality indicators in coronary heart disease (CHD) measure the practice gap between optimal care and current clinical practice. However, the potential impact of achieving quality indicator benchmarks remains unknown.

      Methods

      Using a validated, epidemiologic model of CHD in Ontario, Canada, we estimated the potential impact on mortality of improved utilization on CHD quality indicators from 2005 levels to recommend benchmark utilization of 90%. Eight CHD disease subgroups were evaluated, including inpatients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), acute coronary syndromes, and heart failure, in addition to ambulatory patients who were post-acute myocardial infarction survivors, or had heart failure, chronic stable angina, hypertension, or hyperlipidemia. The primary outcome was the predicted mortality reduction associated with meeting quality indicator targets for each CHD subgroup-treatment combination.

      Results

      In 2005, there were 10,060 CHD deaths in Ontario, representing an age-adjusted CHD mortality of 191 per 100,000 people. By meeting quality indicator utilization benchmarks, mortality could be potentially reduced by approximately 20% (95% confidence interval 17.8-21.1), representing approximately 1960 avoidable deaths. The bulk of this potential benefit was in ambulatory patients with chronic stable angina (36% of reduction) and heart failure (31% of reduction). The biggest drivers were optimizing angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use in chronic stable angina patients (approximately 440 avoidable deaths) and β-blocker use in heart failure (approximately 400 avoidable deaths).

      Conclusions

      These findings reinforce the importance of quality indicators and could aid policy makers in prioritizing strategies to meet the goals outlined in the Canadian Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan for reducing cardiovascular mortality.

      Résumé

      Introduction

      Les indicateurs de qualité dans la maladie coronarienne (MC) mesurent l'écart entre les soins optimaux et la pratique clinique actuelle. Cependant, les conséquences potentielles d'atteindre les indicateurs de qualité restent inconnues.

      Méthodes

      En utilisant un modèle épidémiologique validé de MC en Ontario, au Canada, nous avons estimé les conséquences potentielles sur la mortalité de l'utilisation améliorée d'indicateurs de qualité sur la MC à partir des niveaux de 2005 pour recommander l'utilisation de repères de 90 %. Huit (8) sous-groupes de patients ayant une MC ont été évalués, incluant les patients hospitalisés présentant un infarctus aigu du myocarde (AM), un syndrome coronarien aigu et une insuffisance cardiaque, en plus des patients ambulatoires ayant survécu à un infarctus du myocarde aigu, ou ayant une insuffisance cardiaque, une angine chronique stable, de l'hypertension ou une hyperlipidémie. Le résultat principal a été la réduction prévue de mortalité associée à l'atteinte des cibles d'indicateurs de qualité pour chacune des combinaisons de traitement des sous-groupes présentant une MC.

      Résultats

      En 2005, il y a eu 10 060 décès liés à la MC en Ontario, ce qui représente une mortalité liée à la MC ajustée selon l'âge de 191 personnes sur 100 000. Par l'atteinte de repères d'utilisation des indicateurs de qualité, la mortalité pourrait être réduite d'approximativement 20 % (intervalle de confiance de 95 %, 17,8-21,1), ce qui représente environ 1 960 décès évitables. L'avantage potentiel a surtout été chez les patients ambulatoires présentant une angine chronique stable (36 % de réduction) et une insuffisance cardiaque (31 % de réduction). Les principaux moteurs ont été l'optimisation de l'utilisation de l'inhibiteur de l'enzyme de conversion de l'angiotensine chez les patients ayant une angine chronique stable (environ 440 décès évitables) et l'utilisation de β-bloquants pour les cas d’insuffisance cardiaque (environ 400 décès évitables).

      Conclusions

      Ces découvertes renforcent l'importance des indicateurs de qualité et pourraient aider les responsables dans la priorisation de stratégies pour atteindre les objectifs définis dans la Stratégie canadienne de santé cardiovasculaire et Plan d'action pour la réduction de la mortalité cardiovasculaire.
      To read this article in full you will need to make a payment

      Purchase one-time access:

      Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online access
      One-time access price info
      • For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
      • For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'

      Subscribe:

      Subscribe to Canadian Journal of Cardiology
      Already a print subscriber? Claim online access
      Already an online subscriber? Sign in
      Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect

      References

        • World Health Organization (WHO)
        Global burden of coronary heart disease.
        (Accessed April 16, 2009)
      1. Economic Burden of Illness in Canada, 1998.
        Canadian Public Health Association, Ottawa2009
      2. Canadian Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan.
        Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa2010
        • Tu J.V.
        • Khalid L.
        • Donovan L.R.
        • Ko D.T.
        Indicators of quality of care for patients with acute myocardial infarction.
        CMAJ. 2008; 179: 909-915
      3. Measuring and improving quality of care: a report from the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology First Scientific Forum on Assessment of Healthcare Quality in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke.
        Circulation. 2000; 101: 1483-1493
        • Spertus J.A.
        • Eagle K.A.
        • Krumholz H.M.
        • Mitchell K.R.
        • Normand S.L.
        American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association methodology for the selection and creation of performance measures for quantifying the quality of cardiovascular care.
        Circulation. 2005; 111: 1703-1712
        • Lee D.S.
        • Tran C.
        • Flintoft V.
        • Grant F.C.
        • Liu P.P.
        • Tu J.V.
        • Canadian Cardiovascular Outcomes Research Team/Canadian Cardiovascular Society
        CCORT/CCS quality indicators for congestive heart failure care.
        Can J Cardiol. 2003; 19: 357-364
        • American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement
        Clinical Performance Measures: Chronic Stable Coronary Artery Disease.
        American Medical Association, 2003
        • American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement
        Clinical Performance Measures: Hypertension.
        American Medical Association, 2003
        • Bonow R.O.
        • Bennett S.
        • Casey Jr, D.E.
        • et al.
        ACC/AHA Clinical Performance Measures for Adults with Chronic Heart Failure: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Performance Measures (Writing Committee to Develop Heart Failure Clinical Performance Measures): endorsed by the Heart Failure Society of America.
        Circulation. 2005; 112: 1853-1887
        • Krumholz H.M.
        • Anderson J.L.
        • Brooks N.H.
        • et al.
        ACC/AHA clinical performance measures for adults with ST-elevation and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Performance Measures (Writing Committee to Develop Performance Measures on ST-Elevation and Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction).
        Circulation. 2006; 113: 732-761
        • Wijeysundera H.C.
        • Machado M.
        • Farahati F.
        • et al.
        Association of temporal trends in risk factors and treatment uptake with coronary heart disease mortality, 1994-2005.
        JAMA. 2010; 303: 1841-1847
        • Capewell S.
        • Morrison C.E.
        • McMurray J.J.
        Contribution of modern cardiovascular treatment and risk factor changes to the decline in coronary heart disease mortality in Scotland between 1975 and 1994.
        Heart. 1999; 81: 380-386
        • Capewell S.
        • Beaglehole R.
        • Seddon M.
        • McMurray J.
        Explanation for the decline in coronary heart disease mortality rates in Auckland, New Zealand, between 1982 and 1993.
        Circulation. 2000; 102: 1511-1516
        • Capewell S.
        • O'Flaherty M.
        What explains declining coronary mortality?.
        Heart. 2008; 94: 1105-1108
        • Ford E.S.
        • Ajani U.A.
        • Croft J.B.
        • et al.
        Explaining the decrease in U.S. deaths from coronary disease, 1980–2000.
        N Engl J Med. 2007; 356: 2388-2398
        • Anderson J.L.
        • Adams C.D.
        • Antman E.M.
        • et al.
        ACC/AHA 2007 guidelines for the management of patients with unstable angina/non-ST-Elevation myocardial infarction: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Revise the 2002 Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Unstable Angina/Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction) developed in collaboration with the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons endorsed by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation and the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.
        J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007; 50: e1-e157
        • Antman E.M.
        • Anbe D.T.
        • Armstrong P.W.
        • et al.
        ACC/AHA guidelines for the management of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction; A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Committee to Revise the 1999 Guidelines for the Management of patients with acute myocardial infarction).
        J Am Coll Cardiol. 2004; 44: E1-E211
        • Tu J.V.
        • Donovan L.R.
        • Lee D.S.
        • et al.
        Effectiveness of public report cards for improving the quality of cardiac care: the EFFECT study: a randomized trial.
        JAMA. 2009; 302: 2330-2337
        • Peterson E.D.
        • Shah B.R.
        • Parsons L.
        • et al.
        Trends in quality of care for patients with acute myocardial infarction in the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction from 1990 to 2006.
        Am Heart J. 2008; 156: 1045-1055