Performance Measurement Of Acute Care Hospitals In Illinois, USA
Based on the Medicare hospital compare database, a total of 3 acute care hospitals were assess for performance measurement using various parameters. The three hospitals for the performance measurement analysis include: (a) Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital (b) Edward Hospital and (c) Westlake Community Hospital
Based on current evidence and the data obtained from the Medicare Hospital Compare Website, two recommendations should be incorporated in Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital order to improve patient satisfaction and experience (i) Train and enhance the nursing staff to cater to the needs of all patients administered to the hospital as and when required (ii) Train nursing and hospital staff on concepts of patient education with a focus on medication prescription (Andel C, et al. 2012). Similarly, the recommendations for Edward hospital include (i) Healthcare providers need to assess the patient satisfaction and experience with pain scores (ii) The implementation of an effective pain management protocol and tool is required and (iii) Post-management care education and training for all healthcare providers is recommended (Canel, Mahar, Rosen, Taylor, 2010). On similar lines, the recommendations for Westlake community hospital include (i) Improvement of hospital ambience and provision of silence zones in and around the hospital surroundings (ii) Improve post-care management services and (iii) Inclusion of patient education and awareness programs (LM, et al. 2013).
The overall performance measurement and comparative review was based on the following criteria: (i) Patient Experiences (ii) Data Related to Timely and Effective Care and (iii) Data related to readmissions, complications, and Deaths. Data obtained from the Medicare Hospital Compare Website, the data related to timely and effective care was as follows: All patients (100%) were given an antibiotic treatment prior to surgery as per protocols in order to prevent and control infection The average time for a patient to be treated with pain medications for broken bones in the emergency department was 37, 25, and 44 minutes for Advocate Good Samaritan, Edward, and Westlake community hospital respectively (Zuckerman RB, Sheingold SH, Orav EJ, Ruhter J, Epstein AM. 2016). All patients (100%) received appropriate care for pneumonia including right amount of antibiotics and prescription medications.
Based on current evidence and the data obtained from the Medicare Hospital Compare Website, three recommendations should be incorporated in order to improve health and patient outcomes: (i) Implement training and continuing education facilities or programs for nurses in order to improve and enhance practical skills (ii) Include quality and risk assessment in order for healthcare administrator to implement strategies to improve quality (iii) Nurse performance evaluation on a monthly basis on order to improve healthcare delivery and (iv) Include peer-review assessment and counselling sessions for nursing staff to prevent burn-out and improve patient satisfaction (Zuckerman RB, Sheingold SH, Orav EJ, Ruhter J, Epstein AM. 2016).
Based on current evidence, all 3 acute care hospitals fared equal; however, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital scored better in terms of patient experience, timely and effective care.
References
Andel C, et al. (2012). The economics of health care quality and medical errors. J Health Care Finance. 39(1):39-50.
Canel C, Mahar S, Rosen D, Taylor J. (2010). Quality control methods at a hospital. Int J Health Care Qual Assur. 23(1):59-71
LM, et al. (2013). Hospital nursing, care quality, and patient satisfaction: cross-sectional surveys of nurses and patients in hospitals in China and Europe. Int J Nurs Stud. 50(2):154-61.
Zuckerman RB, Sheingold SH, Orav EJ, Ruhter J, Epstein AM. (2016). Readmissions, Observation, and the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. N Engl J Med. 374(16):1543-51.
