For all hospitals, core measures refer to the best-practice standards for treatment of heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia (community acquired), and are the basis for reporting and measuring the quality of hospital care. These conditions have been chosen as core measures because they are the most common causes for admission to a hospital, and unlike other conditions, there is universal agreement on the best practice for each measure. Standards related to surgical site infection prevention for selected surgeries are another example of core measures. For more information, review our 2012 performance data and our most recent quality report from the American Hospital Association.
Every hospital in Rhode Island uses the independent firm Press Ganey to assess the quality of its care through satisfaction surveys. Questionnaires are mailed to individuals who have used our inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, or ambulatory surgery services and the data is reported to us four times a year. These reports allow us to evaluate our performance internally, as we as to compare ourselves to other state and regional hospitals. The survey address every aspect of patients' visits, from the quality of the food they were served to the helpfulness of hospital staff.
We are honored to have been ranked #1 in patient satisfaction in the state for twelve consecutive quarters.
Our Quality Improvement Team reviews patient questionnaires to develop solutions to patient concerns. The Team is guided by a committee that includes members of the Board of Trustees, the community, hospital physicians and nurses, managers and staff from virtually every hospital department. This forum allows us to address every aspect of patient service and satisfaction.
Specific areas of hospital care are measured and reported to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and The Joint Commission. Having undergone extensive validity and reliability testing, these standards are all endorsed by the National Quality Forum, a voluntary, standard-setting, consensus-building organization representing providers, consumers, purchasers and researchers.
Schwartz Center Rounds offer healthcare providers a regularly scheduled time during their fast-paced work lives to openly and honestly discuss the social and emotional issues they face in caring for patients and families. In contrast to traditional medical rounds, the focus is on the human dimension of medicine. Caregivers have an opportunity to share their experiences, thoughts and feelings on thought-provoking topics drawn from actual patient cases. The premise is that caregivers are better able to make personal connections with patients and colleagues when they have greater insight into their own responses and feelings.
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