Introduction
In the last two decades, in developed countries at the national level, increased attention has been paid to the evaluation of the activities of medical organizations, especially those providing inpatient and acute medical care. According to Abu Jaber and Nashwan (2022), such evaluation “is considered one of the most influential contributions in the performance measurement literature to enable hospital performance improvement” (p. 1). This is due both to the complication of medical care technologies, and to an increase in their cost. Thus, it is imperative to correctly assess the variety of factors that pertain to the quality of customer experience with hospital care, as well to the overall efficiency of the facility. In this essay, two hospitals will be evaluated in terms of quality, safety, outcomes, and satisfaction data both from managerial and consumer standpoints.
Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Nampa
Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Nampa has the overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars and 3 out of 5 stars in patient survey rating. Statistical data on the hospital’s quality of care shows that Saint Alphonsus Medical Center adheres to a fairly high standard of healthcare provision. The rate of serious complications associated with hospital’s care was only slightly higher than national value – 1.04 versus 1.00 of national rate (Medicare, 2022a). The number of patient deaths occurring due to serious but treatable after-surgery complications was 155.83, which can be considered low as compared to national rate of 143.04 (Medicare, 2022a). Healthcare-associated infections rate was only slightly higher or, in some cases, even lower than the overall national value. The overwhelming majority of the medical staff was vaccinated against COVID-19 and influenza, which indicates that patient safety in that regard is not compromised. Moreover, death rates for different clinical issues also did not rise above national standard, remaining in lower percentages – an important aspect in ensuring patient security.
Patient survey rating shows that more than two thirds of the hospital’s clients were satisfied with the quality of their care. 74 percent of patients reported that they would definitely recommend this hospital to family and friends, and 75 percent stated that their doctors and nurses always communicated well with them (Medicare, 2022a). It stands out that the patients’ satisfaction with hospital’s care was overall quite well, only dropping to 49 percent in regards to understanding the follow-up home care (Medicare, 2022a). The main identified weakness of the hospital is that the data on certain points of care, complications, and patient safety is incomplete, which requires additional attention from the facility’s managerial lead. Nevertheless, the information from overall quality and patient surveys shows that the hospital adheres to high standards of medical care and offers transparency on death and complications rates for patients to make an informed decision.
The main concern for the facility is the lack of data on timely and effective care measures quality. Only 6 out of 12 measures were evaluated in that department, which might influence the patients’ decision to attend the hospital significantly. A healthcare manager should draw attention to that aspect and facilitate a more thorough evaluation of the factors that are lacking necessary data to provide the customers with as much relevant information as possible.
Saint Luke’s Nampa Medical Center
Saint Luke’s Medical Center of Nampa performed better than the previous facility – it has 5 out of 5 stars in overall and 4 out of 5 stars in patient survey rating. The hospital’s emergency department care shows better results than national values – for example, only 2 percent of patients left the department without receiving care versus national rate of 3 percent (Medicare, 2022b). Moreover, the rate of serious complications was also on par with national value – 0.99 versus 1.00 (Medicare, 2022b). Death rates were mostly higher than national ones but only slightly so, and in cases such as number of deaths among stroke, pneumonia, and COPD, even lower (Medicare, 2022b). However, data on certain measures pertaining to overall care quality are lacking, which can be considered a serious concern and a weakness for both managers and consumers of healthcare.
The patient experience with Saint Luke’s Medical Center was majorly positive, resulting in a higher rating than the Saint Alphonsus Medical Center received. The percentage of positive reviews from patients never dropped lower than 63, mostly remaining in the upper quartile of the dataset. 83 percent of patients stated that they would definitely recommend the hospital, and 82 percent gave the facility the rating of either 9 or 10 for the care quality (Medicare, 2022b). These numbers factor significantly in the consumers’ decision to attend the hospital, as they serve as a proof of the high standard of healthcare. It can be said that the hospital’s identified strength lies in great patient experience and low rates of readmission.
However, the issue of data incompleteness remains – out of all assessed points, only patient experience measures were fully assessed and accounted for. This calls for a full reassessment of hospital’s major aspects of care, as many of specific practices lacked important statistical data and could not be compared to national or state value. A healthcare manager should advocate for a more comprehensive approach to information about mortality, complications, safety, and effectiveness of care. The introduction of nurses’ checklist documentation could significantly improve patient outcomes and empower nursing staff (Hernandez et al., 2019). Facilitating the staff to account more thoroughly for these specific measures would be highly beneficial for the hospital.
References
Abu Jaber, A. A., & Nashwan, A. (2022). Balanced scorecard-based hospital performance measurement framework: A performance construct development approach. Cureus. Web.
Hernandez, M., King, A., & Stewart, L. (2019). Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) prevention and nurses’ checklist documentation of their indwelling catheter management practices. Nursing Praxis in New Zealand, 35(1), 29-42. Web.
Medicare. (2022a). Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Nampa. Medicare.gov. Web.
Medicare. (2022b). St Luke’s Nampa Medical Center. Medicare.gov. Web.