New tool on Hospitals Performance
The Local 49 health care team has been leading the effort to require hospitals to report information on how they are working to prevent hospital acquired infections.
2 years ago, a law was passed at the State Legislature that required such reporting. Since then, hospitals have been collecting data, and working groups have been meeting to discuss how this data will be presented to the public. The Local 49 health care team has been at this table, and has worked hard to make sure that the information collected is valuable and understandable to patients.
There is a lot more work to do in this area. Collecting the data takes time. But we are proud to say that the first of what will be many more pieces of information on hospital acquired infection rates in hospitals is now up and ready for use.
On this website you will be able to focus in on hospitals in your area of the state. You will be able to compare hospital performance in the area you live. Some of the information you will find includes the infection rates for hospitals that perform two specific procedures – more procedures will be added early next year. You will also find data regarding the percentage of time your hospital follows the proper guidelines for a wide range of important preventative measures. One example is giving an asperine to patients immediately after they have a heart attack. This is a simple thing, and it is critically important to survival. But not all hospitals do this 100% of the time. And you want to make sure that if you are having heart problems that you go to a place that does do this.
This website will help you get information you will need to make an informed decisions about which hospitals you may be thinking of going. But remember that Health Systems Management is the program that you and your family should use in determining which provider and facility you should be using. HSM uses this information on hospitals along with many other sources in determining the option for you.
http://www.mnhospitalquality.org/