Member News Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 26, 2008
How to Choose a Hospital When you Need Surgery
You just learned that you need to have surgery and your doctor is on staff at
more than one hospital. Which hospital do you choose?
When selecting a hospital, it is important for patients to be aware of a
hospital’s quality measures, surgical processes and patient satisfaction scores.
Quite simply, research shows that some hospitals do a better job than others.
"Everyone wants to be safe when they are in the hospital," says Paul Pawlak,
President and CEO of Silver Cross Hospital "But it is sometimes difficult for
patients to determine whether or not their hospital is doing well."
Quality Measures
Often the information is difficult to understand so the federal government has
created websites to help consumers evaluate safety and compare hospital quality.
To find out how area hospitals rank on important indicators including surgical
care, infection rates and mortality (death) rates, the federal government has
created a very easy to understand website for consumers at
www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov.
According to the federal government (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid), Silver
Cross ranks in the top 10% of hospitals in the U.S. for making sure that surgery
patients receive antibiotics within one-hour before incision. Research shows
that patients who get antibiotics within the hour before their operation are
less likely to get infections. Silver Cross also ranks higher than both the
national and state average for all other surgical improvement and infection
measures.
"Silver Cross' success is due in large part to its staff continuously working on
improving the care of surgical patients," says Dr. Mark Danielson, Chairman of
the Department of Surgery at Silver Cross Hospital. "The team has taken a hard
look at all the processes and procedures used throughout surgery such as making
sure that patients receive antibiotics before undergoing surgery to reduce the
chance of any post-operative infections."
Surgical Processes
In addition to finding out how hospital’s rank clinically, consumers should also
ask what steps the hospital has taken to make sure their surgery will be safe.
Does the hospital have a "Time-Out" process where before every procedure the
surgical team stops and takes time to verify that they are performing the
correct procedure on the correct patient and the correct part of the body? At
Silver Cross, this is all confirmed before administering any medications or
making the first incision.
"Patients should know that when they step through our doors, we do everything
possible to ensure their safety," said Pawlak.
There are many new resources for patients to check when making a decision about
which hospital to choose for surgery. For example, the Surgical Care
Improvement Project is a multi-year national campaign headed-up by the federal
government, Joint Commission and other quality improvement organizations. It is
aimed at reducing surgical complications by 25 percent by the year 2010. The
Project recently released a "watch list" of hospitals that need to improve their
surgical care procedures at
www.cms.hhs.gov/QualityImprovementOrgs/downloads/HospitalChart.pdf.
Silver Cross was one of the first hospitals to join the Project and has been
recognized for its contribution in improving surgical care practices around the
country.
Patient Satisfaction
Finally, consumers should find out how other patients rated their hospital
experience and quality of care. Many hospitals, like Silver Cross, measure
patient satisfaction through a third party company such as Press Ganey. Press
Ganey works with more than 7,000 health care organizations, including nearly 40%
of U.S. hospitals to measure and improve their quality of care. Patients are
sent a survey following their inpatient, outpatient, emergency, ambulatory
surgery or other types of hospital care. Hospitals then use this feedback to
make improvements on how care is delivered.
Beginning in March 2008, the government will begin sharing patient perspectives
about their inpatient care at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov . This is the same
website that shows clinical performance. Silver Cross is in the pilot group for
the new publicly reported information.
Although the information will be about 9 months old when originally posted,
consumers can compare hospital performance on factors such as cleanliness,
quietness, pain control, communication and responsiveness. The new public
report will show the percent of patients that gave the most favorable response
on a survey. Patients that rated their care any less than perfect will not have
their data included in the report.
These patient satisfaction scores when combined with a hospital's quality
measures and continued improvement in its surgical care processes give consumers
a clear picture about their hospital’s quality of care and safety. When faced
with choosing a hospital for their surgical care, consumers should always check
the following websites before making their decision.
www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov
www.cms.hhs.gov/QualityImprovementOrgs/downloads/HospitalChart.pdf
About Silver Cross Hospital
Silver Cross Hospital, a not-for-profit healthcare provider, has been creating
world-class health care experiences for the southwest suburban communities for
over a century. Silver Cross has been recognized as a Solucient 100 Top
Hospitals® National Award winner for the past three consecutive years and as one
of America's Most Customer Friendly Hospitals by the American Alliance of
Healthcare Providers. Exceptional care. It's not unusual. It's simply the way
you should be treated. To learn more about Silver Cross, take a personal tour of
the hospital or choose a doctor on staff, call 1-888-660-HEAL (4325) or visit
www.silvercross.org.