Compare Hospital Quality

Hospital Quality

If you know that you or a family member will need hospital care you can compare hospital quality reports to help you choose where you get your care. You may also want to ask your doctor, friends, and family members for their thoughts and experiences. Hospital quality standards are set at the national level by the The Joint Commission. Data gathered by our state inspectors feed into Hospital Compare, a site for patients and care givers to see the hospital rates preventing infections, recovery from key conditions, and patient satisfaction. Specific performance measures include:

Preventing Infections

  • Clostridium difficile (C.diff)
    Hospitals can ensure that workers wear gowns and gloves when treating patients with infections and clean their hands after taking off their gloves and take other steps to prevent infection.
  • Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI)
    Hospitals can ensure that tubes used to draw blood or deliver medicine into their veins are properly used and cared for.
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections
    Hospitals can help prevent MRSA bloodstream infections with proper care and good hygiene.
  • Hospital-acquired pressure ulcers
    Hospitals can help prevent pressure ulcers by giving patients the right treatment at the right time.
  • Hospital employee influenza (flu) vaccines
    People who work at hospitals can help protect patients from infection by getting the flu shot or other flu vaccine every year.
  • Hand hygiene
    People who work at hospitals can help protect patients from infection by practicing good hand hygiene (like washing hands between patients).
  • Surgical care improvement project
    Hospitals can help prevent surgical infections by giving patients the right treatment at the right time.

Recovery

  • Hospitals can help patients recover from heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia by giving them the right treatment at the right time.

Patient Satisfaction

  • Medicare patients evaluate their experiences with hospitals.