Percent of Pneumonia Patients Given the Most Appropriate Initial Antibiotic(s)

Why Is This Treatment Important?

Pneumonia is a lung infection that is usually caused by bacteria or a virus. If pneumonia is caused by bacteria, hospitals will treat the infection with antibiotics. Different bacteria are treated with different antibiotics.

To learn about how hospitals use a blood test to choose the most effective treatment for pneumonia patients, refer to the Process of Care measure named Percent of Pneumonia Patients Whose Initial Emergency Room Blood Culture Was Performed Prior To The Administration Of The First Hospital Dose Of Antibiotics.

What the Scores Mean

A higher percentage, or score, is good because it means more patients received the recommended treatment. However, a lower score does not necessarily indicate poor care. You should consider the overall quality of a facility in addition to individual category scores.

About the Data

The data on this site is reported to the Department of Health and Human Services and is updated on a quarterly basis. It represents patient care data from July 2010 through June 2011, which was released in May 2012. The explanation of the data is courtesy of the Department of Health and Human Services. For more information, please visit the Hospital Compare website.