Quality & Safety

The assurance of safe, quality care is fundamental to the vision of St. John's Medical Center. Meeting and exceeding the expectations of our patients and achieving best outcomes are central goals to which all employees at SJMC aspire.

To this end, SJMC continually monitors various indices of the care received by our patients. The SJMC Performance Improvement Plan, updated annually, strategically guides the collaborative staff effort to deliver high quality care. Senior leadership committees and the Board of Trustees oversee the organizational efforts.

Click on the image at right to view a larger version. PDF versions of our quality graphs may be downloaded below.

What is Measured and Why?
Monthly tracking of measures include Core Measures, Patient Satisfaction and, Infection Rates.

Core Measures are specific data that are gathered from medical records. They measure precise areas for which care is rendered and received. Reviewing the SJMC Core Measures on a monthly basis and meeting best practice criteria assure that patients receive the safest, quality care. These measures include Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP), Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI), and the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP).

Patient Satisfaction is information collected on surveys that patients receive after visiting St. John’s. This information is compiled by a third-party vendor and analyzed. The data are available for public use on public websites such as Hospital Compare (www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov).

The provision of safe care through the infection prevention program is strategic to everyday practice at SJMC. The prevention of infection is a primary goal for all employees. Following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), hand hygiene is closely monitored. Ongoing education with the most up-to-date research for preventing infection and providing the safest patient care is a part of everyday life at SJMC. The Infection Control Specialist at SJMC is central to a vital infection prevention program in which all staff is required to participate.

National Accreditation
SJMC is nationally accredited by The Joint Commission. This accreditation is granted to those organizations that demonstrate adherence to strict standards in areas such as Leadership, Performance Improvement, Safety, Environment, Infection Control, Medication Management, Emergency Management, and Rights of the Individual. SJMC is due for this tri-annual survey in the fall of 2011.