Quality Report Cards
St. Joseph's is committed to providing the highest quality care to our patients. One way in which you may determine where to receive hospital services is through the various “report cards” available to you online, including the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Compare report. This report lists specific “indicators” of hospital quality and allows you to compare the results of up to three hospitals at once. St. Joseph's is constantly looking at this data, as well as many other types of quality data to identify opportunities for improvement as it strives for excellence in patient care.
In addition to how the hospital cares for heart failure and pneumonia patients, the Hospital Compare report also shows hospitals' patient satisfaction scores. To help you understand how to read these charts, below are some common questions and answers.
FAQs
Q: Why does St. Joseph's publicly report this kind of quality information?
A: One way in which St. Joseph's demonstrates its commitment to quality improvement is by submitting information to Hospital Compare. We feel the more information patients have to make choices about where to receive care, the better. Of course, the best information comes from your own doctor. This information is one way for you to begin gathering information to have those conversations with your own doctor. When you reach the Hospital Compare website, you should input "St. Joseph's Health Hospital - New York - Update" to select our hospital's information.
Q: What are the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare quality indicators?
A: The indicators or “process of care measures” are medical information from patient records converted into a rate of percentage that shows how well hospitals care for their patients. Process of care measures give you information about how well a hospital provides care for “some” but not “all” their patients. You can use this quality information to help you compare hospitals. The indicators include:
- Eight measures related to heart attack care
- Four measures related to heart failure care
- Seven measures related to pneumonia care
- Five measures related to surgical infection prevention
Q: Why are these indicators important?
A: These indicators are the most common areas of treatment for patients in a hospital. The measures are important because they are the best way to show how well a hospital is caring for these types of conditions. They are based on scientific research and best practices for caring for these types of patients.
Q: Is it possible for me to view St. Joseph's patient satisfaction survey results?
A: You now may compare hospital's patient satisfaction survey results using Hospital Compare. Called HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems), the survey asks patients about their experiences with medical, surgical or maternity care during a recent overnight stay in the hospital. All hospital use the same survey questionnaire and standardized data collection procedures so you are able to accurately compare hospitals. St. Joseph's data appears at Hospital Campare site (https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare).
St. Joseph's Quality Indicators
| Heart Attack Process of Care Measures |
Brief Explanation |
| Percent of Heart Attack Patients Given ACE Inhibitor or ARB for Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction (LVSD) | ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitors and ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers) are medicines used to treat heart attacks, heart failure, or a decreased function of the heart. |
| Percent of Heart Attack Patients Given Aspirin at Arrival | Aspirin can help keep blood clots from forming and dissolve blood clots that can cause heart attacks. |
| Percent of Heart Attack Patients Given Aspirin at Discharge | Taking aspirin may help prevent further heart attacks. |
| Percent of Heart Attack Patients Given Beta Blocker at Arrival | Beta blockers are a type of medicine used to lower blood pressure, treat chest pain (angina) and heart failure, and to help prevent a heart attack. |
| Percent of Heart Attack Patients Given Beta Blocker at Discharge | Beta blockers are a type of medicine used to lower blood pressure, treat chest pain (angina) and heart failure, and to help prevent a heart attack. |
| Percent of Heart Attack Patients Given Fibrinolytic Medication Within 30 Minutes Of Arrival | Blood clots can cause heart attacks. Doctors may give this medicine, or perform a procedure to open the blockage, and in some cases, may do both. |
| Percent of Heart Attack Patients Given PCI Within 90 Minutes Of Arrival | The procedures called Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI) are among those that are the most effective for opening blocked blood vessels that cause heart attacks. Doctors may perform PCI, or give medicine to open the blockage, and in some cases, may do both. |
| Percent of Heart Attack Patients Given Smoking Cessation Advice/Counseling | Smoking is linked to heart attacks. Quitting may help prevent another heart attack. |
| Heart Failure Process of Care Measures |
Brief Explanation |
| Percent of Heart Failure Patients Given ACE Inhibitor or ARB for Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction (LVSD) | ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitors and ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers) are medicines used to treat heart attacks, heart failure, or a decreased function of the heart. |
| Percent of Heart Failure Patients Given an Evaluation of Left Ventricular Systolic (LVS) Function | An evaluation of the LVS function checks how the left chamber of the heart is pumping. |
| Percent of Heart Failure Patients Given Discharge Instructions | The staff at the hospital should provide you with information to help you manage your heart failure symptoms when you are discharged. |
| Percent of Heart Failure Patients Given Smoking Cessation Advice/Counseling | Smoking is linked to heart failure. Quitting may help improve your condition. |
| Pneumonia Process of Care Measures |
Brief Explanation |
| Percent of Pneumonia Patients Assessed and Given Influenza Vaccination | An influenza shot can help prevent influenza in the future, even for patients who have been hospitalized for pneumonia. |
| Percent of Pneumonia Patients Assessed and Given Pneumococcal Vaccination | A pneumonia (pneumococcal) shot can help prevent pneumonia in the future, even for patients who have been hospitalized for pneumonia. |
| Percent of Pneumonia Patients Given Initial Antibiotic(s) within 6 Hours After Arrival | Timely use of antibiotics can improve the treatment of pneumonia caused by bacteria. |
| Percent of Pneumonia Patients Given Oxygenation Assessment | Having enough oxygen in your blood is important to your health. |
| Percent of Pneumonia Patients Given Smoking Cessation Advice/Counseling | Smoking is linked to pneumonia. Quitting may help prevent you from getting pneumonia again. |
| Percent of Pneumonia Patients Given the Most Appropriate Initial Antibiotic(s) | Antibiotics are medicines that treat infection, and each one is different. Hospitals should choose the antibiotics that best treat the infection type for each pneumonia patient. |
| Percent of Pneumonia Patients Whose Initial Emergency Room Blood Culture Was Performed Prior To The Administration Of The First Hospital Dose Of Antibiotics | A blood culture tells what kind of medicine will work best to treat your pneumonia. |
| Surgical Care Improvement/Surgical Infection Prevention Process of Care Measures |
Brief Explanation |
| Percent of Surgery Patients Who Received Preventative Antibiotic(s) One Hour Before Incision | Getting an antibiotic within one hour before surgery reduces the risk of wound infections. Hospitals should check to make sure surgery patients get antibiotics at the right time. |
| Percent of Surgery Patients Who Received the Appropriate Preventative Antibiotic(s) for Their Surgery | Certain antibiotics are recommended to help prevent wound infection for particular types of surgery. |
| Percent of Surgery Patients Who Received Treatment To Prevent Blood Clots Within 24 Hours Before or After Selected Surgeries to Prevent Blood Clots | This measure tells how often surgery patients received treatment to prevent blood clots within 24 hours before or after certain surgeries |
| Percent of Surgery Patients Whose Doctors Ordered Treatments to Prevent Blood Clots (Venous Thromboembolism) For Certain Types of Surgeries | This measure tells how often surgery patients' doctors ordered treatment to prevent blood clots from forming in the veins after certain surgeries |
| Percent of Surgery Patients Whose Preventative Antibiotic(s) are Stopped Within 24 hours After Surgery | It is important for hospitals to stop giving preventative antibiotics within 24 hours after surgery to avoid side effects and other problems associated with antibiotic use. For certain surgeries, however, antibiotics may be needed for a longer time. |