Quality & Patient Satisfaction

Quality Initiatives at South County Hospital

South County Hospital is committed to offering the highest quality of care to the residents of southern Rhode Island. Here are some recent indicators demonstrating quality of care at South County Hospital:

  • For the second consecutive year, South County Hospital has been named to the Harvard Pilgrim Hospital Honor Roll. The Hospital Honor Roll names those hospitals whose performance was among the top 25% of those measured nationally on a set of composite quality metrics.

  • South County Hospital has been recognized by the Providence Business News for practices in maternal care and infant nutrition. South County Hospital has been ranked among the best-performing hospitals in the nation for maternity practices in infant nutrition and care, based on a review of 2,690 facilities nationwide by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

  • South County Hospital was also the recipient to the Business Excellence in Community Involvement Award.

  • South County Hospital became the first in Rhode Island recognized by the American Heart Association for participation in their Get with the Guidelines program. We continue to participate in this important program as it outlines standards of care for coronary artery disease and helps ensure continuous improvement in treatment and prevention of heart attacks.

  • South County Hospital participates in the American Nurses Association National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI)®. This program provides opportunity for the ongoing collection of important data necessary to assess and improve quality of care to patients.

  • South County Hospital is a member of the Rhode Island Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Collaborative, a voluntary initiative focusing on improving patient care in the ICU. As participants in this initiative South County Hospital staff has the opportunity to interact with clinicians from Johns Hopkins University as well as other organizations. Together, we are able to share proven strategies and lessons learned aimed at improving patient outcomes, such as reducing infection and other complications and reducing length of stay in critical care units.

  • Timely, high-quality care in an ICU can significantly improve the chances of survival for critically ill patients. In January 2006, South County Hospital appointed Leon Puppi, M.D. as the ICU Intensivist. Dr. Puppi is Board Certified in Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care.

  • As a result of the ICU Collaborative, South County Hospital resulted in a 3% mortality rate for patients with severe sepsis. The national average is 25%-50%. A 97% survival rate for patients with sepsis at SCH is remarkable.

  • The Surgical Care Improvement project has been instrumental in our consistent success with achieving a surgical site infection rate below the national standard of 1% - 3%.

  • Consistent with our focus on patient safety, South County Hospital is participating in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's 5 Million Lives Campaign, which advocates for standards of care for patients most at risk for infection, complications, and adverse outcomes.

  • South County Hospital established a Rapid Response Team (RRT), an initiative endorsed by The Joint Commission (TJC) and Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). The RRT brings a team of clinicians with critical care expertise to the bedside at the first sign of deterioration of a patient's condition. The goal is to decrease the incidence of cardiac or respiratory arrests or other unexpected outcomes. The Rapid Response Team includes a critical care nurse, a respiratory therapist, a pharmacist and a physician.

  • South County Hospital established a Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization Service which opened its doors to the public on January 7, 2009. This important service will build on the existing strengths of our programs for cardiac patients, as well as those of the cardiologists on the medical staff. Recent studies have shown that the availability of diagnostic cardiac catheterization capabilities in community hospitals results in improved patient outcomes and follow-up.

  • South County Hospital is among the top hospitals in the state for quality scores in the performance rating for "core measures." These core measures are well-established measurement standards for surgical care and for the treatment of heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia (community acquired), and are used by all hospitals in assessing quality. South County Hospital's goal is to consistently improve the composite scores. Goals are established annually and quarterly reports are provided to the Board of Trustees on progress. This year we are striving to achieve composite scores of 98% in the Cardiac categories and 95% in the Pneumonia and Surgical Care Improvement project categories.

  • South County Hospital’s 2009 quality goals include:
    • The prevention of hospital acquired pressure ulcers
    • The prevention of hospital acquired infections

To learn more
We welcome your comments and questions about quality at South County Hospital. For more information, contact Elaine Desmarais, Vice President of Quality & Regulatory Compliance, at 401-782-8000 or edesmarais@schospital.com.