Inspira Health Network

What does it mean to be the best? Paul M. Lambrecht, MJ, MHA, CPHQ, vice president of Quality and Patient Safety at Inspira Health Network, explains health care quality ratings, so you can decide where to seek care when it matters most. What's the best source for hospital quality information? The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Hospital Compare, Healthgrades, The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Score and the New Jersey Department of Health's Hospital Performance Report provide data and ratings regarding hospital quality and patient safety. A trusted physician can also provide valuable insight about the quality of a facility. Is it possible to accurately measure the quality of care hospitals provide? Hospitals take great efforts to assess their performance on dozens of quality and patient-safety measures, often in real time. They use this data to regularly make changes that improve their performance. Excellence can be achieved and maintained only when quality improvement is a continuous process. The real-time data hospitals use often differs from what is publicly reported, as it takes into consideration the ongoing improvement efforts hospitals make based on their performance observations. It is important to keep in mind that data available on the Internet is often outdated and not reflective of a hospital's current level of clinical quality. If I am hospitalized, what can I do to assist the care team to ensure that I receive quality care? Be engaged! It is critical to ask questions and understand what is expected of you, especially because it's easy to be overwhelmed by information communicated to you during a hospital stay. Patients need to understand discharge instructions, any medications they need to take — or stop taking — once they go home, and other steps necessary to stay safe and healthy. If you are able, be your own advocate. If your condition prevents you from advocating for yourself, ask a loved one to do so. If you feel you won't have enough support after your hospital stay, tell your physician, care coordinator or discharge coach that you will need extra support once you get home. I can't overemphasize just how important this is. LEARN MORE ABOUT INSPIRA'S COMMITMENT TO QUALITY AT www.InspiraHealthNetwork.org. Returning to your day-to-day life after orthopedic surgery requires specialized equipment and care, both of which are now available at InspiraMedical Center Woodbury. In November 2015, a new Orthopedic Medical Surgical Unit opened on the hospital's fifth floor. This dedicated space, designed with orthopedic patients in mind, allows Gloucester County residents to stay close to home for the highest quality care following orthopedic surgery. The Orthopedic Medical Surgical Unit features all-private rooms and is designed to maximize comfort so recovering patients can return to normal levels of function as quickly and safely as possible. The unit includes a solarium where patients can visit with family and friends. It also offers recliners that are two inches higher than a normal chair — the extra height makes the transfer between sitting and standing easier for knee and hip replacement patients — and adjustable training tables to accommodate physical therapy patients in wheelchairs. Advanced technology complements the unit's patient-centered design. In the physical therapy room, for example, patients practice getting in and out of a car using a transit simulator. Functioning bones and joints are essential to good health and quality of life. Inspira Health Network is pleased to provide the care and tools patients need to optimize recovery following orthopedic procedures. AN ORTHOPEDIST ON STAFF AT INSPIRA MEDICAL CENTERS IN ELMER, VINELAND AND WOODBURY CAN HELP YOU SOLVE MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN. FIND ONE AT www.InspiraHealthNetwork.org/Physicians. Where Bones & Joints Get Better Quality Matters Our doctors and therapists can help you get back to your life after a joint injury. The new unit features all-private rooms. Spring 2016 7 Inspira Health Network Family & Friends + You

• Cover