Quality improvement measures for diagnosing pneumonia and urinary tract infection receive national endorsements

Through years of unprecedented collaboration and data sharing among Michigan healthcare providers and health systems, the Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety Consortium developed two quality improvement measures that earned National Quality Forum endorsements in January 2023.  

Many hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia or urinary tract infections receive unnecessary antibiotics, which can lead to adverse events, antibiotic resistance, and delays in diagnosing underlying conditions. HMS made improving the appropriate use of antibiotics a key initiative and dedicated its network of statewide partnerships to developing and validating related quality measures across a diverse set of hospitals. 

The NQF recognized HMS with prestigious endorsements for measures that can reduce unnecessary antibiotic use for two common and costly situations: 

• Inappropriate diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in hospitalized medical patients;  and
• Inappropriate diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) in hospitalized medical patients

“HMS is a collaborative focused on improving the quality of care for hospitalized medical patients throughout the state of Michigan,” said Scott Flanders, MD, HMS Program Director, and Michigan Medicine Chief Clinical Strategy Officer. “We are incredibly proud of the work our collaborative has accomplished. Having two of our quality measures validated by the National Quality Forum reinforces the value of our work in Michigan and across the nation.”   

The NQF uses a rigorous evaluation process, led by expert multi-disciplinary committees, to grant select endorsements that are intended to help healthcare providers make choices based on thoroughly vetted, consistent, and credible measures.  

“I am so proud of what our hospitals have been able to do,” said Valerie Vaughn, MD, an HMS quality improvement consultant. “We are working hard to bring the best care possible to patients with infections and this endorsement shows that we really are at the leading edge nationally.” 

This work was made possible with the support of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network, along with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.