Mortality rates for 11 common health conditions in hospital settings significantly worsened for Pennsylvania patients over the last few years, according to areport published Dec. 14 by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council — an independent state agency.
Out of 16 conditions measured for changes between 2017 and 2022, the council found that 11 showed "a statistically significant increase" in mortality. The largest mortality increase was for sepsis.
The other 10 conditions that in-hospital mortality rates went up for patients in the state include: pneumonia (aspiration), pneumonia (infectious), respiratory failure, lung blood clots, stroke, acute kidney failure, heart failure, diabetes, kidney and urinary tract infections, and abnormal heartbeats.
"PHC4 strives to highlight and call attention to important issues, such as the increase of mortality in (Pennsylvania) over the last five years," Barry Buckingham, executive director of the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, stated in the news release.
While mortality rates increased for several conditions, the report also revealed improvements in other areas of hospital care.
During the same five-year time period, hospitals saw a significant decrease in statewide 30-day readmission rates.