JERSEYVILLE - Jersey Community Hospital (JCH) recently earned a score of a 1.5, which was the best among all hospitals in this region. The best score a hospital could achieve in the Hospital Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program is a score of 1 with a 10 being the worst score possible.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ranks HAC nationally, including 125 hospitals in Illinois. JCH performed as one of the top 5 Illinois hospitals by achieving one of the the lowest scores and becoming a top performer by preventing hospital acquired conditions.
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Julie Smith, RN, MSN, Director of Patient Care and Infection Prevention explains “Infection prevention is a daily goal at JCH. I am so proud of the excellent work by our staff.” Public reporting of HACs is an important way to educate consumers and the public on hospital performance and demonstrates CMS’ commitment to ensuring the accuracy and transparency of data that are publicly available.
The Affordable Care Act established the Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program to improve the safety of patients who are admitted into a hospital. CMS began reducing payments to hospitals that rank in the worst quartile when compared to other hospitals with respect to hospital-acquired conditions. These condition include:
Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI)
Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)
Surgical Site Infections
The HAC results also include the Patient Safety Indicators (PSI-90) score given by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). This score includes eight different measures including pressure ulcers, hospital caused pneumothorax, and surgical complications. AHRQ is designed to improve outcomes and quality of healthcare, reduce cost, address patient safety and medical errors and broaden access to effective services. In 2017, the measures will expand to include MRSA and C. Diff. infections.
The scores of other hospitals may be viewed at https://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/HAC-reduction-program.html .
Additionally, CMS recently released a report naming JCH as one of the top 10 cleanest hospitals in the state of Illinois. These two recognitions are closely correlated and reinforce the hard work of JCH physicians and staff in creating an excellent facility that meets the healthcare needs of our community.
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