Dear Editor,
Recently, a report was released which “grades” hospitals for patient safety.? This particular report is one that includes mandatory reporting for hospitals as well as voluntary self-reporting of hospital performance.
Marlborough Hospital, like all accredited hospitals, is required to report quality and safety regulatory compliance measures to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Joint Commission, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The required data is available for public review and is transparent. Historically and currently, Marlborough Hospital has performed well and often above national and state averages. For instance, surgical patients were given the right kind of antibiotics to help prevent infection, 100% of the time.? In the area of acute myocardial infarction, Marlborough Hospital scored better than the national average in terms of evidence based practice in six of the eight quality measures. In the treatment of pneumonia patients, we received a gold star rating for appropriate antibiotic selection. The Joint Commission's most recent report gives Marlborough Hospital an overall composite score of 98.6%.
Marlborough Hospital has received numerous awards for quality and patient safety, most notably, the 2009 Betsy Lehman Patient Safety Recognition Award and the 2011 Press Ganey Success Story – a highly regarded symbol of achievement in the health care industry. Clearly, state and national organizations recognize our performance in quality and safety metrics.? We continue to strive to exceed the standards and are working diligently to improve each and every day with each and every patient.
I am proud of our hospital, our clinicians and our staff and our unwavering commitment to quality and patient safety. As a nurse and as a health care executive, keeping our patients safe will always be the top priority.
Sincerely,
Karen O. Moore MS, FACHE
President and CEO
Marlborough Hospital
