Patient Safety/Quality of Care

Providing high quality care to every patient in a safe environment is the goal of all hospitals and a daily focus of their activities. Consumers want more transparency and information about patient outcomes, and hospitals report a wide variety of quality information at both the state and national levels. Hospitals support the collection and dissemination of additional meaningful, useful information about quality of care. The Legislature created an advisory panel to study and develop recommendations for the collection and reporting of health care-associated infection rates and/or process measures. These recommendations will be considered by the Legislature in 2007.

Member Resources

Synopsis of Senate Bill 872 - Reporting of Health Care-Associated Infections

Public Accountability for Quality and Patient Safety Online Toolkit

Coalition Supports National 100K Lives Campaign

As of December 9, 2005, some 144 Texas hospitals had joined the national 100K Lives Campaign, a national patient safety initiative supported by a broad coalition of health care providers. For an updated list of participating hospitals or to learn more about the campaign, visit http://www.ihi.org/IHI/Programs/Campaign/. Texas organizations supporting the 100K Lives campaign include:

Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council
Rural and Community Health Institute
Texas Healthcare Trustees
Texas Hospital Association
Texas Medical Association
Texas Nurses Association
Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals
Texas Pharmacy Congress
TMF Health Quality Institute

Resources:

News Release (PDF)

100K Lives Campaign Fact Sheet (PDF)

Hospitals Focus on Patient Safety (THA background information) (PDF)

Frequently Asked Questions about the 100,000 Lives Campaign (from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement)
List of Texas Hospitals Participating in 100K Lives Campaign (as of Sept. 29, 2005) (PDF)

Web Site Allows Consumers to Compare Hospital Quality

Hospital quality of care information is now available to the public through an innovative, consumer-friendly Web site – http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/. Hospital Compare will provide the public with useful and understandable information on hospital quality of care in an easily accessible way to assist patients, families and communities in making important health care decisions. Hospital Compare is the result the cooperation of the Hospital Quality Alliance, a landmark public-private partnership of hospitals, government agencies, quality experts, purchasers, consumer groups and other health care organizations.

Additional Resources:

Using Hospital Compare (PDF)
THA Statement on Hospital Compare Web Site Launch

THA Quality and Patient Safety Resource Center

What Hospitals Are Doing to Enhance Patient Safety (Best Practices and Safety Measures Report 2005)

Overview of CDC/CMS/AHQA Study on Surgical Site Infections

100,000 Lives Campaign Takes Patient Safety to a New Level (Trustee Bulletin, Sept./Oct. 2005)

Continuous Service Readiness Program (Education, training and one-on-one support)

CDC Guidance on Public Reporting of Healthcare-Associated Infections: Recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC)

APIC List of Resources on Mandatory Reporting (with embedded links)

Texas Surgical Care Improvement Project

According to Texas Government Code 305.027, portions of this material may be considered “legislative advertising.” Authorization for its publication is made by John Hawkins, Texas Hospital Association, P.O. Box 15587, Austin, TX 78761-5587.