Increased Volume = Better Outcomes

Numerous studies show the quality of the health care provided increases with the number of patients treated by a health system and its physicians. The additional resources of a large hospital or health system like Penn, combined with a greater number of experienced physicians provide patients with a better chance of early diagnosis and quicker access to the latest treatment.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), created by the federal government to improve quality, effectiveness and access to health care services in America, says patients should feel confident with the care they receive if the health system they choose has the following level of experience in six specific procedures:

The three hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania Health System — Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and Pennsylvania Hospital — far exceed the recommended level of experience in all six procedures.

The Guide to Inpatient Quality Indicators, published regularly by AHRQ, uses volume data on these six procedures along with other measures to establish threshold standards for quality of care. The rationale for the volume measures is based on evidence that hospitals performing more of certain intensive, high-technology, or highly complex procedures tend to have better outcomes for those procedures.

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* Sources: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2006; Pennsylvania Cost Containment Council, New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, 2005.