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Quality & Safety MattersThe staff at Central Vermont Medical Center are committed to providing patients with care that is compassionate, safe and of the highest possible quality. We strive every day to give our best to the patients we are here to serve.
Quality Health Care
There are two ways to measure quality in health care. The first way is by health care regulators who score a hospital “performance” based on objectively measuring health care “outcomes”. It is the Goal at CVMC to score 100% on all measures. You can see a complete set of scores for our performance in the areas of heart attack care, pneumonia care, congestive heart failure and surgical infection prevention by clicking here.
Customer Service Initiatives
The other way to measure quality is in the eyes and experience of the patients and their families. At CVMC, we strive to earn high marks by both measures. It is our goal to provide health care that is:
- Effective,
- Patient-centered,
- Safe,
- Timely,
- Efficient,
- and Equitable (fair)
CVMC has launched an initiative to evaluate how our patients perceive the quality of our care. We want to evaluate the patient's care from a customer service perspective. We do this through your feedback about your satisfaction when you receive care and from your suggestions to improve our care and the services you received. Patient satisfaction surveys are the best means to communicate your comments and concerns with us. We take all suggestions seriously and the comments are shared with the department managers and staff and the Customer Service Initiative team. In 2008 we had a campaign for customer service called “How May I Help You” that was instituted across the institution. The goal of this program was to take our customer service to a higher level for our customers. In 2009 we are expanding this initiative to address access to our services in an effort to facilitate patient flow and a smoother transition through the organization. Your suggestions are a valuable component of this initiative. Please complete any feedback surveys you receive or contact us with your comments at 371-4350.
CVMC participates in a national initiative to evaluate the care provided for patients as inpatients in the United States . The program called Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (HCAHPS) collects patient perceptions of their care using standardized questions to allow comparisons of hospitals across the nation. Reponses from the inpatient population are made available so hospitals can compare themselves to other hospitals and so consumers can compare hospitals to other hospitals. To access the data for CVMC click here
Continuous Quality Improvement
CVMC works to continuously improve the quality of our care and services and to ensure patient safety. Continuous Quality Improvement is a way of conducting business that says that no matter how good we are, there is always room for improvement.
The board of trustees and the senior management staff identify strategic initiatives each year that guide the quality improvement activities of CVMC. Each department also identifies with input from staff those processes that with change will contribute to a safer environment for our patients and improve customer satisfaction.
Infection Control
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that 1.7 million infections occur annually in hospitals. CVMC has established infection control initiatives to reduce and eliminate the incidence of hospital acquired infections. These initiatives include not only clinical staff but every employee in the origination. Multi resistant drug infections can be acquired in almost any setting including homes, schools, and vacant lots, making the need for effective infection prevention and control in the hospital setting all the more necessary. Among other infection control initiatives, CVMC is participating with the Northeast Health Care Quality Foundation in a study of methacellin resistant staph aureus (MSRA) in the hospital setting. The Joint Commission has mandated initiatives to be in place related to the prevention and control of multi resistant drug infections in the organization. Infection rates at CVMC are below the national rates and very comparable with other hospitals in the state of Vermont . For more information, click here
Safety in Health Care
CVMC is committed to improving patient safety and to making those practices recognized on a national level as important initiatives in patient safety a part of our everyday practice. Within the Medical Center , the safety of our patients is a top priority. These patient safety initiatives are called the National Patient Safety goals. We are actively developing programs to meet or exceed the National Safety Patient Goals.
An important component of our patient safety program is your involvement as a patient or a family member of a person who is a patient in our organization. You as the patient or family member have the right to request and to receive information related to our patient safety initiatives. We expect that our staff will provide information to you on how to access additional care if you feel that your condition or that of your family member is worsening.
To view the 2009 National Patient Safety Goals, click here.
CVMC supports the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) mission to assure the safety and health of America 's workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health.
Public Reporting of Performance Data
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires hospitals participating in the Medicare program to collect and submit data on three conditions seen in health care across the United States . It has been demonstrated through research and the development of specific practices and treatments that the outcomes for these conditions are improved when these evidence based practices are followed. These conditions are heart attacks, heart failure and community acquired pneumonia. In addition CMS requires data collection and monitoring of compliance with evidence based practices that have been shown to decrease the risk of post operative infections and complication in surgical patients who have certain procedures done. To learn more about the appropriate care measures click here
CVMC is accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC) The mission of The Joint Commission is to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. CVMC collects and submits data on Core Measures for the same conditions and surgical procedures that are required by CMS. To learn more about the performance of CVMC click here
In 2003, the state of Vermont passed legislation that requires every Vermont hospital to document and publish its performance on a number of quality, safety and financial measures. To learn more, click here .
Central Vermont Medical Center
National Quality Alliance - Improving Care through Information
April 2007 to March 2008
To see a comparison of Central Vermont Medical Center to other hospitals in the state of Vermont and to hospitals in the entire United States click here
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