HCA’s Health System facilities support the efforts of third-party quality monitoring organizations in collecting and analyzing various data from hospitals across the country. The data collected by these organizations serves as a useful tool for helping consumers identify hospital strengths and weaknesses and make informed choices when selecting healthcare facilities. Such quality reporting initiatives also improve the state of the healthcare industry by encouraging transparency and accountability to the public.

With consumers having a greater stake in their healthcare purchasing decisions, it’s important for them to know that there is a tremendous difference in clinical quality outcomes between hospitals. However, consumers should keep in mind that performance data is not a singular source of information for assessing the quality and services of hospitals.

National Quality Reporting Agencies

All HCA hospitals voluntarily report our performance data and information to the organizations listed below.

The Joint Commission -
Serves as the nation's leading standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare and focuses on improving the quality and safety of care provided by healthcare organizations. The Joint Commission’s Quality Check website provides comparison information that a person can use to determine whether a healthcare organization will meet his or her needs.

Leapfrog -
The Leapfrog Group works with over 50 leading medical experts to identify solutions that will improve hospital quality and safety and then gathers information from hospitals around the country. The Leapfrog Hospital Quality and Safety Survey asks hospitals to report on the steps they take to improve patient care.

Leapfrog helps consumers make smarter healthcare choices by showing you what steps hospitals are taking to reduce preventable medical mistakes. Our current safe practice scores and information including ratings of hospitals can be found on the Leapfrog website.

Hospital Compare (CMS) -
The federal government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services – known as CMS - provides data that allows consumers the ability to compare hospitals. Called “Hospital Compare,” the measures provide a snapshot of hospital performance for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care improvement.

The data measures how hospitals managed those three conditions one year ago – during the first and second quarters of 2004. This data can be of great value to consumers and businesses if it is interpreted and used appropriately. It is important to consider the following points when reviewing the Hospital Compare data.

The data does not cover all areas of hospital quality. It is simply a starting point that should be a roadmap for consumers to ask questions.

  • The data, which comes from a combination of sources, is not fail-proof.
  • It’s important to discuss any hospital quality data – regardless of its source – with your physician.

Patient Safety Resources

National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) -
The National Patient Safety Foundation is an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that has been diligently pursuing one mission since its founding in 1997 – to improve the safety of patients. A decade later, NPSF remains the sole organization in the field with this singular focus. NPSF also occupies a unique position in this field by virtue of its inclusive, multi-stakeholder approach. From the composition of its Board to the structure of its programs, NPSF fosters collaboration on the issue of patient safety.

AHRQ -
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is the lead Federal agency charged with improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. As one of 12 agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, AHRQ supports health services research that will improve the quality of health care and promote evidence-based decision-making.

Additional Organizations for Quality & Patient Safety Information

AHA -
The American Hospital Association (AHA) is the national organization that represents and serves all types of hospitals, health care networks, and their patients and communities. AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends.

CDC -
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the nation’s premier public health agency—working to ensure healthy people in a healthy world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting public health activities in the United States.

Healthgrades -
HealthGrades is the leading healthcare ratings organization, providing ratings and profiles of hospitals, nursing homes and physicians to consumers, corporations, and health plans. Millions of consumers and hundreds of the nation's largest employers, health plans and hospitals rely on HealthGrades' independent ratings, consulting and products to make healthcare decisions based on the quality of care.

IHI -
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is an independent not-for-profit organization helping to lead the improvement of health care throughout the world. IHI works to accelerate improvement by building the will for change, cultivating promising concepts for improving patient care, and helping health care systems.

Truven Analytics -
Truven Health Analytics delivers unbiased information, analytic tools, benchmarks, and services to the healthcare industry. Hospitals, government agencies, employers, health plans, clinicians, and pharmaceutical and medical device companies have relied on us for more than 30 years. We combine our deep clinical, financial, and healthcare management expertise with innovative technology platforms and information assets to make healthcare better by collaborating with our customers to uncover and realize opportunities for improving quality, efficiency, and outcomes.