Pneumonia Report

What is Pneumonia?

Pneumonia is a lung infection caused by germs, such as bacteria, viruses, and fugi. For more information on “Learning About Pneumonia” by the American Lung Association, please click HERE.

Pneumonia Patient Mortality (Death)

What is this measure?

This measure shows whether Medicare patients died within 30 days of going to the hospital for Pneumonia. The death rates take into account how sick patients were before they were admitted to the hospital.

How does Kaweah Health perform?

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Data Source: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) when available or internal data
Benchmark Source: Rates are compared by the CMS to the U.S. national rate for each Medicare patient type when available, or by internal national benchmarking data

Why is it important?

This information is important because one way to tell if a hospital is doing a good job is to see if the death (mortality) rate for COPD patients treated at that hospital is better than, the same as or worse than the U.S. national average. Death rates provide information about important aspects that affect patients’ outcomes. A focus on prevention, response to complications, emphasis on patient safety, and timeliness of care lowers mortality rates and improve patient outcomes.

Pneumonia Patient Hospital Readmission

What is this measure?

This readmission measure shows how often a Medicare patient returns to the hospital for an unplanned admission within 30 days of going home from the previous hospitalization. Patients may return to the same hospital or a different hospital. The readmission may be related the original Pneumonia or for a different health issue. The readmission rates take into account how sick patients were before they were admitted to the hospital.

How does Kaweah Health perform?

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Data Source: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) when available or internal data
Benchmark Source: Rates are compared by the CMS to the U.S. national rate for each Medicare patient type when available, or by internal national benchmarking data

Why is it important?

This information is important because one way to tell if a hospital is doing a good job is to see if the readmission rate for Pneumonia patients is better than, the same as or worse than the U.S. national average. Readmission rates show how well the hospital is doing to prevent complications, provide clear discharge instructions, and aid in making easy transition home or to another setting.

What is Kaweah Health doing to continue to improve?

Hospital-wide physician-lead teams of healthcare professionals are dedicated to promote and oversee best practices in the care of Pneumonia patients and preventing patients from getting pneumonia while in the hospital. These teams are always looking to for new ways continuously improve care.

See our national recognition for Pneumonia care, click HERE.

Pneumonia can lead to a serious condition called sepsis that is the body’s overwhelming response to infection. Kaweah Health follows evidence-based guidelines and best practice with the goal of providing timely care to all of our patients with severe sepsis related to pneumonia through our RN Sepsis Coordinator. For more information on Sepsis at Kaweah, click HERE.

Patients are most at risk for readmission immediately following discharge from the hospital when they are often trying to follow directions for new medication, make lifestyle changes and manage follow-up appointments. Kaweah Health comprehensively prepares all patients before discharge and offers a variety of programs for patients who need extra support when going home.

Our medical center has a special pharmacy program called “meds to bed” that provide bedside delivery for discharge medications. Pharmacists can visit patient rooms for extra instruction about high-risk conditions and the drugs used for treatment.

How can patients and families support safety?

An important part of leaving the hospital is to understand how to manage your health conditions. This includes knowing about any medications, dietary restrictions, physical activity recommendations, and follow up care. Talk to your care team if you or a loved one has questions during the transition or after discharge.

You can reduce the risk of getting pneumonia by following these simple steps:

• Get Vaccinated

  • Get flu shot every year to prevent influenza.

  • Children younger than 5 and adults 65 and older should get vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia, a common form of bacterial pneumonia. The pneumococcal vaccine is also recommended for all children and adults who are at increased risk of pneumococcal disease due to other health conditions. There are two types of pneumococcal vaccine. Talk to your healthcare provider to find out if one of them is right for you. To learn more visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, click HERE.

For more information on preventing pneumonia from the American Lung Association, please click