Quincy Medical Center is committed to providing high quality, safe, compassionate care for our patients and their families. There are many public websites available for consumers to access data on hospital and physician performance. Upon visiting these sites, you will find that Quincy Medical Center performs better than state or national benchmarks on the great majority of quality measures.
We're constantly working to improve performance. Below is a snapshot of some of our performance improvement initiatives and processes to ensure the best care for you and your family. Click on each measure and you'll see the story behind our improvement.
Heart attack patients who were prescribed aspirin at discharge. Why does this matter? Aspirin therapy in patients who have suffered a heart attack (acute myocardial infarction or AMI) reduces the risk of adverse events and death. Studies have shown that aspirin can reduce this risk by 20%. How did we do? With 100% compliance since 2008, Quincy Medical Center consistently performs better than the state and national averages on this measure.
Doctors ordered preventive treatment for blood clots in surgery patients. Why does this matter? Venous thromboembolism (VTE), commonly known as blood clots, is one of the most common and serious complications that can occur after surgery. Evidence has shown that providing medication to prevent blood clots in advance or immediately following surgery is the most effective way to reduce complications. How did we do? Quincy Medical Center maintains a near perfect record for meeting this standard.
Heart Failure patients are given proper discharge instructions. Why does this matter? Proper discharge instructions provide you with information to help you manage your heart failure symptoms when you are discharged. How did we do? Our performance on this measure improved from 82% in the first quarter of 2009 to 96% in the first quarter of 2010 and remains well above state and national benchmarks.
Blood Culture was performed in the Emergency Department before antibiotic was administered. Why does this matter? A blood culture tells what kind of medicine will work best to treat your pneumonia. When a blood culture is deemed necessary by your doctor, it is important that it be drawn before starting treatment. How did we do? Our percentage of pneumonia patients meeting this standard in the ED went from 80% in the 3rd quarter, up to 97% for the 4th Quarter in 2009, surpassing the national average of 92%. Our staff strive to reliably meet this high standard of care.
Heart Failure patients provided with smoking cessation advice and counseling during their hospital stay. Why does this matter? Smoking is linked to heart attacks. Quitting may help prevent another heart attack. How did we do? We have improved from 83% in the first quarter of 2009 to 100% for the rest of the year, beating state and national benchmarks.
We encourage you to review our performance by visiting the following public websites.
If you have any questions, please call Char Kasprzak, MPH, at 617-376-3182.