Media Release

CONTACT: Mary Logan, RN, MS 401-222-4872
FOR: Immediate Release
DATE: July 24, 2000

Health Department Releases Hospital Survey Results to the Public 
Joint Project is First in the Nation

Providence, RI – The Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) today released information about the quality of hospital care on its website. HEALTH worked collaboratively with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (Joint Commission) and the Hospital Association of Rhode Island (HARI) to make accreditation status for all hospitals in Rhode Island available to the public. This initiative joins a steadily increasing number of programs through which HEALTH provides public information on quality for nursing homes, health care providers, and health plans. HEALTH’s website (www.health.ri.gov) posts the current hospital accreditation status with explanations about the process and the Joint Commission reports.

Richard Croteau, MD from the Joint Commission states "This is a unique and efficient way to present information about Rhode Island hospitals as well as provide linkage to the Joint Commission national website." The Joint Commission, which accredits nearly 20,000 health care organizations, began releasing performance reports to the public in 1994.

The HEALTH website section titled "Hospital Information for the Public" provides the accreditation status, date and overall scores for each hospital in Rhode Island. For more detailed information in key areas such as medication use and infection control, the HEALTH website links directly to the Joint Commission national performance reports.

According to Mary Logan, RN MS, the Program Coordinator for the Health Quality Performance Measurement and Reporting Program, "The performance scores tell us how each hospital measured up against the Joint Commission standards and not against the other hospitals." The scores are based on a 100-point scale. A high score does not guarantee quality patient care but provides one indicator of a hospital’s ability to provide quality care.

"Hospitals in Rhode Island are committed to quality care," stated Cathy Boni, RN MSN, Vice President of Clinical Affairs at the Hospital Association of RI. "This is just one of the many initiatives that we are working on with the Department of Health and the Joint Commission to measure and report hospital care."