Dr. Sumner, Director of Hospital Medicine Services states that “Healthcare-associated infections are a huge concern in all hospital and health care systems and the fact that we here at WCRMC maintain “0” occurrences directly relates to the excellent clinical competency of the staff.”
The HAI measures show how often patients in a particular hospital contract certain infections during the course of their medical treatment, when compared to similar hospitals. These infections can often be prevented when healthcare facilities follow guidelines for safe care. To get payment from Medicare, hospitals are required to report data about some infections to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC’s) and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) . Hospitals currently submit information on central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), surgical site infections (SSIs), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) blood infections, and Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) intestinal infections. The public reporting of this data on Hospital Compare is part of a movement by the Department of Health and Human Services to make healthcare safer.
Heidi Malez Coffee, MSN, RN, CMSRN, Chief Nursing and Compliance Officer, states that at Washington County Regional Medical Center we practice with a team-based approach to quality patient care which has helped the hospital achieve the excellent results for the HAI and many other quality measures. According to the Medicare.gov Hospital Compare Website provided by the centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, WRMC has earned a 4-star rating surpassing the most common average overall hospital rating of 3 stars.
The overall hospital rating ranges from 1 to 5 stars. The more stars, the better a hospital performed on the available quality measures. The data available on the website allows you to compare the quality of care at over 4,000 Medicare-certified hospitals across the country. The overall hospital star rating summarizes a variety of measures- on Hospital Compare reflecting common conditions that hospitals treat, such as heart attacks or pneumonia. The overall hospital star rating shows how well each hospital performed, on average, compared to other hospitals in the U.S.
In an emergency, you should go to the nearest hospital. When you are able to plan ahead, the Hospital Compare overall hospital rating can provide a starting point for comparing our hospital to others locally and nationwide.
Antoine Poythress, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer states, “I am very proud of the quality and safe patient care our staff has delivered to the community over the past two years. We at WCRMC have worked hard to achieve and maintain “0” occurrences for all HAI measures which include central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), surgical site infections (SSIs), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) blood infections, and Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) intestinal infections. This data supports our commitment to providing first-rate healthcare for Washington County.”
