Credentials

• Quality hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission (JC). JC accreditation is a nationwide symbol of quality.

• Quality physicians are board certified in their specialties.

Research and Education

• Research and education should be a priority of the hospital.  Teaching hospitals tend to have better health outcomes.

Patient Health Outcomes

• Quality hospitals have a positive record of patient health outcomes, such as:
  • How often the hospital performs a given procedure higher volumes result in more favorable:
    • Mortality rates
    • Complication rates
    • Average lengths of stay.

Patient Safety

• Patient Safety includes interventions put in place to reduce preventable mistakes:
  • Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) system to order medications, tests and procedures more effectively and accurately.
  • ICU Staffing an intensive care unit staffed by intensivists, doctors and other caregivers with special training in critical care.
  • Evidence Based Hospital Referral - a record of the most experience and best results performing procedures and surgeries or treating conditions.  Medical literature shows the more experience the doctor or hospital has performing a given procedure, the better the results.