Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital receives ‘Very Good’ safety core

The August edition of Consumer Reports has released its Hospital Safety Ratings and Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital scored a Very Good. There were only five hospitals in Illinois who scored Excellent and 15 that scored Very Good.

The ratings look at how hospitals compare in avoiding adverse events in Medicare patients during their hospital stay for surgery; and the results are combined into an overall surgery rating.

In addition, Consumer Reports has ratings for five of those procedures on their website ConsumerReports.org/hospitalratings: Back surgery, replacement of the hip or knee, and surgery to remove blockages in arteries in the heart (angioplasty) or neck (carotid artery surgery). The rates are risk-adjusted based on patient characteristics, such as age, gender and other health conditions, including high blood pressure and diabetes. The ratings don’t take into account complications that became apparent after patients were discharged from the hospital.

“We are pleased to receive this honor,” says Leo Kelly, MD, medical director, Quality and Safety, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital. “This is a testament to the hard work and proactive approach shown by our associates who keep Good Shepherd Hospital safe every day. And, because there is always room for improvement, we continue to develop safety initiatives that are in the best interest of our patients and their families.”

Currently at Good Shepherd Hospital, safety initiatives include medication bar coding, smart IV pump technology, safer surgery checklist, and the transformation and decentralization of cardiac telemetry monitoring.

For a full description of their methodology, as well as more information on hospitals, visit ConsumerReports.org/hospitalratings.