Quality & Patient Satisfaction

Quality healthcare in Rhode Island

SCH Quality Initiatives
Patient Safety Goals

Quality is a top priority at South County Hospital. We are dedicated to providing the residents of southern Rhode Island with the highest quality care and establishing an all-encompassing culture of safety for our patients.

Demonstrated commitment to quality
Accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, South County Hospital is committed to quality patient care, as evidenced by our participation in such key initiatives as the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's 5 Million Lives Campaign, the Rhode Island ICU Collaborative, and a variety of other quality initiatives.

Measuring quality
At South County Hospital, we measure quality through the assessment of outcomes and processes. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and The Joint Commission have identified specific areas of hospital care to be measured and reported. Having undergone extensive validity and reliability testing, these standards are all endorsed by the National Quality Forum, a voluntary standard-setting, consensus-building organization representing providers, consumers, purchasers and researchers.

Core measures
For all hospitals, the standards for the treatment of heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia (community acquired), referred to as "core measures," are the basis for reporting and measuring the quality of hospital care. These core measures have been selected because they are the most common causes for admission to a hospital, and unlike other conditions, there is universal agreement on what is the best practice for each. Also included as a core measure in evaluating quality care are standards related to surgical infection prevention for selected surgeries. Included here are links to our 2006 performance data and to our most recent quality report from the American Hospital Association.

Patient satisfaction
For many years, we have had an independent third party administer patient satisfaction surveys. These questionnaires are mailed to individuals who have used our inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, or ambulatory surgery services, and the data is reported to us four times a year. These reports allow us to review and evaluate our performance internally, as well as in comparison to other hospitals in the state and region. These surveys ask questions on virtually every aspect of a patient's experience. They are asked to rate us on cleanliness, courtesy, comfort, and food; how family and friends were treated; the helpfulness of personnel; the waiting time for a test or procedure; pain management, staff response to questions, the skill of the nurses, physicians and other clinicians.

Quality Improvement Team
At South County Hospital, we carefully review all responses to patient questionnaires, and with the help of our internal Quality Improvement Team, develop solutions to patient concerns. Our Quality Improvement team is guided by a committee that includes members of the Board of Trustees, members of the community, physicians on the medical staff, nurses, managers, and staff from virtually every department. This forum allows us to address every aspect of patient service and satisfaction.

To learn more
We invite you to review our performance data, and to learn more about quality at South County Hospital. There are also a number of Web sites dedicated to the topic of hospital quality and patient safety that you may wish to review. As always, we welcome your comments and questions. For more information, contact Elaine Desmarais, Vice President of Quality Improvement, at 401-782-8000 or edesmarais@schospital.com.