The Department of Health (DOH) today released New Jersey’s annual Hospital Performance Report which demonstrates that hospital quality continues to improve in the state. The report includes two new measures and also identifies opportunities for hospitals to continue to enhance their performance. The report scores hospitals in three general categories: Recommended Care, Patient Safety, and Healthcare-Associated Infections.
The Department also added two measures to this year’s report. Under Recommended Care Measures, Perioperative Temperature Management was included to illustrate the percent of patients whose body temperature was normal before or after anesthesia. This information is important because temperatures that fall below normal present a risk for patients undergoing surgery. Another measure, added under Healthcare-Associated Infections, was Surgical Site Infection following knee replacement surgery.
In addition to quality data, the report also offers consumer advice on taking an active role in healthcare, including how to manage medications and questions to ask health care providers.
Read full report: NJ 2012 Hospital Performance Report