FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe Martin, Communications Director
717-232-6787 or
Certificate Award Recipients for Calendar Year 2000
Harrisburg, PA - July 19, 2001 - Each year, the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) collects approximately 2 million inpatient and 1.5 million outpatient hospital and ambulatory facility records. It then verifies, analyzes and publishes information based on these records to help those who purchase, utilize, provide and make other types of decisions about hospitals, physicians, and health insurance plans in Pennsylvania. It has achieved national and international acclaim for its unique activities. None of that would be possible without the hard work of the staff at 313 Pennsylvania hospitals, charged with the submission responsibilities for this massive undertaking.
In recognition of their hard work, PHC4 has awarded 16 hospitals Certificates of Excellence for their superior achievement in data submission in Calendar Year 2000. The certificates were presented to hospital representatives by PHC4 Executive Director Marc P. Volavka, Council Vice-chairman Richard C. Dreyfuss and Secretary of Health Robert S. Zimmerman, Jr. following the Council's regular meeting on July 12th.
"These 16 hospitals represent both the cream of the crop of data submissions as well as the extraordinary spirit of cooperation that exists between PHC4 and many hospitals," stated Mr. Volavka. "This dynamic is unusual in a regulatory environment, and these staff deserve a well-earned pat on the back for their contribution to credible public health care information."
Each year PHC4 acknowledges those health care facilities that minimally meet the legally established guidelines for accurate and timely data submission under state law. Hospitals may receive an award for submission of inpatient data, outpatient data or both. Of the 16 hospitals recognized by PHC4, only Bradford Regional Medical Center, Sunbury Community Hospital and Gettysburg Hospital were recognized for both their inpatient and ambulatory/outpatient activities.
"Working together, Pennsylvania hospitals and PHC4 have created the richest and most timely database in the country," said Mr. Volavka. "For the most recent two quarters, we received an inpatient data submission from every general acute care hospital in the state."
Those facilities receiving Certificates of Excellence (the highest award) met the data submission and accuracy requirements for all four quarters of calendar year 2000, ranked in the lowest 25th percentile for initial submission error rates, and did not need any time extensions. Certificates of Achievement were also sent to 169 facilities that maintained an error ratio of less than 25% and submitted records within 90 days after the close of the previous calendar quarter. A list of the facilities receiving a Certificate of Excellence and facilities receiving a Certificate of Achievement is attached. Digital photos of the presentation event can be viewed on the PHC4 Web site - http://www.phc4.org.
The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council is an independent state agency that provides the public with information that can be used to improve the quality and restrain the cost of health care in Pennsylvania. Hundreds of public and special reports have been produced since the Council's inception in 1986.