Why have UC Patients Experienced Higher Than Expected Complications?

The University of California’s five Medical Centers are all award-winning hospitals. However, an analysis of 2005 data¹ that UC submitted to the State indicates that while patients at UC’s Medical Centers had overall lower rates of mortality than did patients at other comparable hospitals², they had higher overall rates of complications like infections, accidental lacerations, post-operative pneumonia, bed sores and other post-operative complications.³

Not only are these kinds of complications scary to experience for patients and their families, but they are of special concern because many of them are considered “iatrogenic”, meaning that they arise as a result of the actions of a healthcare provider.

Many factors may contribute to elevated iatrogenic complication rates. However, UC workers believe that below-market wages, a high stress environment and increasing benefit costs cause UC to lose experienced workers and create the need to rely on temporary staff in certain departments. We believe that all this can adversely affect the quality of patient care.  We want to provide high-quality patient care. We need UC to do its part, by providing wages and working conditions that will allow us to focus on our patients.

¹Based on an analysis of 2005 Office of Statewide Health Planning & Development (OSHPD) Inpatient Discharge Data Set commissioned by the union. UC attests under penalty of perjury that the data they submit to OSHPD is accurate and complete. Data has been risk-adjusted.
²To account for variations of patient mix, a peer group was defined that included 16 private medical centers and 10 county medical centers that also operate academic programs on their campuses. A list of the peer group can be found at www.ucpatientcarewatch.org/peergroup.
³UC had a higher complication rate than its peers in 212 (private peers) or 225 (public peers) of 559 Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs). UC had a lower complication rate than its peers in 163 (private peers) or 122 (public peers) of 559 DRGs.