Pneumonia accounts for nearly 600,000 Medicare patient hospitalizations and more than 4.5 million inpatient days each year.  Pneumonia is also the principal reason for more than 500,000 emergency department visits by Medicare patients each year. The incidence of pneumonia increases with age, and more than 90 percent of deaths due to this condition are in the population aged 65 and older. 

This project aims to decrease mobidity and mortality accociated with community-acquired pneumonia for Medicare beneficiaries.  Hospitals working on this project are changing proceses of care to improve outcomes for Medicare beneficiares admitted to the hospital with pneumonia.  An additional objective is to increase rates of vaccination against influenza and pneumococcal disease. 

Quality Measures