UPMC Hamot saw higher-than-expected mortality rates in seven categories, per report

UPMC Hamot, Erie’s largest hospital, saw significantly higher-than-expected mortality rates for patients with seven medical conditions.

Among the conditions with increased mortality rates in fiscal 2023 were stroke, sepsis, heart failure, pneumonia — infectious, kidney failure — acute, stomach and intestinal bleeding, and back problems — medical management, according to the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council’s annual Hospital Performance Report.

PHC4, an independent statewide agency, published the report Dec. 12. It covers the fiscal year October 2022 through September 2023.

Hamot officials did not specifically address the report’s findings but said in a statement that it treats many of the region’s sickest patients.

“As the recognized leader in advanced, complex and complicated patient care with the area’s only level two trauma center, we accept and care for all patients from a very large region,” a Hamot spokeswoman said in a statement. “We remain committed to safety and excellence as our driving force.”

In-hospital mortality rates have risen significantly statewide between fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2023 for eight of the 16 medical conditions listed in the PHC4 report.

PHC4 officials did not offer reasons for the increases, saying in an email that it “does not have the required information to determine the cause, but rather reports the facts, in hopes that they provide insight to target efforts to evaluate and implement change as needed.”

Among Erie and Crawford county acute-care hospitals, Titusville Area Hospital was the only other facility to have multiple mortality rates that were significantly higher than expected. They included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney failure — acute, pneumonia — aspiration, and sepsis.

Titusville Area officials declined to comment about the PHC4 report.

The following hospitals each had one significantly higher-than-expected mortality rate:

• Saint Vincent Hospital: kidney failure — acute

• Corry Memorial Hospital: sepsis

• Meadville Medical Center: sepsis

The statewide mortality rate for sepsis, a life-threatening response by the immune system to an infection, has increased from 8.7% of cases in fiscal 2018 to 10.3% in fiscal 2023.

Titusville Area also had a significantly higher-than-expected 30-day readmission rate for kidney and urinary tract infections. No local hospital posted a significantly lower-than-expected mortality or readmission rates.

Hospitals are seeing more transfers, sicker patients

A possible reason for the higher mortality rates statewide could be that hospitals, especially larger ones, are treating sicker patients than they were five or 10 years ago, said Dr. Jestin Carlson, Saint Vincent’s associate chief medical officer and emergency medicine physician.

“We have seen patients with higher acuities in not only our emergency department but EDs across the state and nationally,” Carlson said. “When a patient has higher acuity, you often see more medical problems and it often presents a bigger challenge.”

For example, five of the 14 Saint Vincent patients who died from kidney failure — acute were transferred from community hospitals and 12 of them had do not resuscitate orders.

“That was a lot of patients who had orders not to be placed on a ventilator or to do CPR,” said Steve Osborn, Saint Vincent’s director of quality.

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNBruce.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: UPMC Hamot posted high mortality rates for seven medical conditions

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