Measure Source

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Home Health Quality Initiative.

Table

1.126 Percent of improvement in toileting for home health episodes, by State, 2002 and 2004.

Data Source

Calculated by the Center for Health Services and Policy, Research, University of Colorado, from Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) data.

Denominator

All home health episodes that begin and end in the survey year.

Numerator

Episodes in which a person's ability to get to and from the toilet improved compared to a prior assessment.

Comments

The OASIS instrument measures toileting ability on a 5-level scale from 0 (independent) to 4 (totally independent). Episodes are not included for persons who are at the highest level and cannot improve any more.

Risk-adjusted rates are available for State estimates only. Particulars about risk adjustment and further information about this and other measures of the Home Health Quality Initiative are available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/center/quality.asp.