Patient Input Helps AMC with Quality Improvement

    SARANAC LAKE – Over the course of the past year, the public reporting of information about patient experience at Adirondack Medical Center has reflected an ongoing commitment to high standards of quality as well as immediate response to areas in need of improvement.
    AMC began sharing its quality experience ahead of the government’s launch to the public of the Hospital Quality Alliance’s (HQA) website, www.HospitalCompare.hhs.gov in March, 2008.  The HQA is a national public-private collaboration of hospital groups, consumer representatives, physician and nursing organizations, employers and payers, oversight organizations and government agencies dedicated to encouraging hospitals to voluntarily collect and make public quality of care information
    This public quality of care information is based upon the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Survey.  Information for the HCAHPS report is culled from existing customer satisfaction surveys sent to individuals who utilize services at AMC.  Because of this, AMC is strongly encouraging those who utilize our services to respond to the customer satisfaction survey, should they receive one.  Information generated from these surveys is used by AMC to make improvements to the quality of care at the hospital.
    The collected information in the HCAHPS survey includes 27 questions reported as 10 “composite” scores.  Instead of asking patients how satisfied they were with their care, the HCAHPS survey asks how often different aspects of care were provided, such as how often a doctor listened to their questions or concerns.
 Within those 10 scoring categories – communication with doctors, communication with nurses, responsiveness of hospital staff, pain management, communication about medicines, discharge information, cleanliness of the hospital environment, quietness of the hospital environment, overall rating of the hospital, and willingness to recommend the hospital – AMC exceeded the New York State and national average in most areas.
 Most questions on the HCAHPS survey ask the patient to report on how frequently something occurred – “always,” “usually,” “sometimes,” or “never.”
    One of the categories being reviewed at AMC in the latest HCAHPS survey is the “quietness of the hospital environment.”  In response, the Nurse Practice Committee is examining some of the causes of noise on the floors that patients may find disruptive.  One solution being pursued is the use of a device known as a “Yacker Tracker.”  The device looks much like a traffic light, but measures the levels of sound so that nursing staff have a visual measurement of noise on the floors and can adjust their activity accordingly.  In addition, the committee assessed noise generated by medical equipment around the patient areas. As a result, AMC has made changes based upon the recommendations of the Nurse Practice Committee.
    “Patient input is so vital to our obligation of improving the quality of care,” said Chandler Ralph, President & CEO. “AMC is a better medical center because of the input we receive from the community.”
    Equally important, this national standard for collecting or publicly reporting health care consumer information enables valid comparisons to be made across all hospitals.  The public at large can now make “apples to apples” comparisons among health care providers in the Tri-Lakes region, or across the nation if they so desire.
    The quality of care information through HCAHPS is updated on a regular basis, and AMC will announce these results to the community both on its website, www.amcCares.org, and through a variety of local media outlets.  To access the information on the AMC website, simply click on the “Commitment to Quality” button on the homepage.

Policies & Terms - Laboratory Test Collection Information - Sitemap

	AMC is accredited by the Joint Commission. Click here to view the Joint Commission Public Notice.
	AMC is accredited by the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program.
	Adirondack Medical Center's Bariatric Program and Dr. Michael Hill have been designated as a Center of Excellence by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery.