Over the last few decades, the measurement and reporting of health care quality outcomes has grown significantly. As health care evolves, it is important to continue to monitor and report on the quality of care delivered to patients in California and across the US. This is part of a series of measures CHCF is publishing on the quality of care in our state. Topics range from maternal to end-of-life care and include measures on behavioral health, chronic conditions, and providers.

This set of quality measures focuses on providers, including ambulatory surgery centers, emergency departments, inpatient hospitals, nursing homes, and home health care.

Patients with mental health conditions spent more than four hours in EDs in California and in the nation

Patients with mental health conditions visiting California emergency departments (EDs) spent four and a half hours in the ED before being sent home, compared to three hours for other patients. In both cases, California patients spent more time in the ED than patients nationwide.

Black, multiracial, and American Indian and Alaska Native Californians had higher 30-day hospital readmission rates than Californians of other races/ethnicities

In 2022, California’s unplanned 30-day hospital readmission rate of 14.5% exceeded the Let’s Get Healthy California target of 11.9%. Black Californians (18%), multiracial Californians (17%), and American Indian and Alaska Native Californians (16%) had higher readmission rates than Californians of other races/ethnicities.

California home health agencies performed similarly to US agencies on measures related to patients requiring hospitalization or emergency care

In 2022, 13% of home health patients in California and 14% in the US needed to be admitted to the hospital. Similarly, 11% of California patients and 12% of US patients needed urgent, unplanned care in the emergency department (ED) that did not result in admission. California’s nursing homes had slightly higher hospitalization rates per 1,000 long-stay resident days than US nursing homes overall (1.89 vs. 1.76) and slightly lower ED visits per 1,000 long-stay resident days (0.92) than US nursing homes overall (1.13). Although some home health and nursing home patients require hospital or emergency care, some cases of hospitalization or emergency care can be avoided with high-quality home health and nursing home care.

The companion Excel data file is available for download below. These materials are part of CHCF’s California Health Care Almanac, an online clearinghouse for key data and analyses describing the state’s health care landscape. To see past editions of this almanac, contact us.