Prevention measures are a tool to examine ambulatory care-sensitive conditions. Ambulatory care-sensitive conditions are certain medical conditions that require good outpatient care in order to prevent complications, severity of disease or hospitalization. Prevention measures report the number of hospitalizations for several ambulatory care-sensitive measures by individual hospital.

Although prevention measures are based on hospital inpatient data, they provide insight into the community healthcare system or services outside the hospital setting. Colorado hospitals are submitting data for the following prevention measures:

• Amputations (diabetic-associated)

• Asthma

• Chest Pain (Angina)

• Chronic Lung Disease (COPD)

• Dehydration

• Diabetic Complications (long term)

• Diabetic Complications (short term)

• Heart Failure (CHF)

• High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

• Low Birth Weight Deliveries

• Pneumonia

• Ruptured Appendix

• Uncontrolled Diabetes

• Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)