Improving Hospital Metrics Through the Implementation of a Comorbidity Capture Tool and Other Quality Initiatives

Background: Case mix index (CMI) and expected mortality are determined based on comorbidities. Improving documentation and coding can impact performance indicators. During and prior to 2018, our patient acuity was under-represented, with low expected mortality and CMI. Those metrics motivated our quality team to develop the quality initiatives reported here. Objectives: We sought to assess the impact of quality initiatives on number of comorbidities, diagnoses, CMI, and expected mortality at the University of Miami Health System. Design: We conducted an observational study of a series of quality initiatives: (1) education of clinical documentation specialists (CDS) to capture comorbidities (10/2019); (2) facilitating the process for physician query response (2/2020); (3) implementation of computer logic to capture electrolyte disturbances and renal dysfunction (8/2020); (4) development of a tool to capture Elixhauser comorbidities (11/2020); and (5) provider education and electronic health record reviews by the quality team. Setting and participants: All admissions during 2019 and 2020 at University of Miami Health System. The health system includes 2 academic inpatient facilities, a 560-bed tertiary hospital, and a 40-bed cancer facility. Our hospital is 1 of the 11 PPS-Exempt Cancer Hospitals and is the South Florida’s only NCI-Designated Cancer Center. Measures: Number of coded diagnoses and Elixhauser comorbidities; CMI and expected mortality were compared between the pre-intervention and the intervention periods using t -tests and Chi-square test. Results: There were 33 066 admissions during the study period—13 689 before the intervention and 19 377 during the intervention period. From pre-intervention to intervention, the mean (SD) number of comorbidities increased from 2.5 (1.7) to 3.1 (2.0) ( P < .0001), diagnoses increased from 11.3 (7.3) to 18.5 (10.4) ( P < .0001), CMI increased from 2.1 (1.9) to 2.4 (2.2) ( P < .0001), and expected mortality increased from 1.8% (6.1) to 3.1% (9.2) ( P < .0001). Conclusion: The number of comorbidities, diagnoses, and CMI all improved, and expected mortality increased in the year of implementation of the quality initiatives.