It was among the first Catholic sponsored health care systems in the nation to do so. The organization’s leaders found strong parallels between the values of SSMHC and the principles of CQI.
Continuous quality improvement was embraced as a way for the system to fulfill its mission. While some health care organizations, desiring immediate results, abandoned CQI during the 1990s, SSM Health Care committed itself to a long-term journey. As a result, SSMHC has been continuously lauded as a trailblazer in providing top quality health care services, as well as quality in the workplace.
In 2002, SSMHC became the first health care winner of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and continues to participate in a variety of nationwide and state quality initiatives.
U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services -- Hospital Compare
Hospital Compare has quality measures on how often hospitals provide some of the recommended care for an adult who is being treated for a heart attack, heart failure, or pneumonia. This quality information not only helps you make good decisions about your health care, but also encourages hospitals to improve the quality of health care they provide. Click one of the links below to see the data for our hospitals.
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO): Hospital Quality Measures
The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Joint Commission accreditation is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization's commitment to meeting certain performance standards. To earn and maintain the the Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval™, an organization must undergo an on-site survey by a Joint Commission survey team at least every three years. Click one of the links below to see the JCAHO data for our hospitals.
To see how SSMHC hospitals scored, go to www.qualitycheck.org, to access the JCAHO Quality Check web site. Choose "Search by Name" and type in SSM. Then click "Search". If you have questions or concerns about care you received at an SSMHC facility, and those questions or concerns have not been resolved by the hospital, you are encouraged to contact JCAHO.
Solucient: 100 Top Hospitals
The Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success report identifies industry benchmarks and recognizes hospitals and their management teams that demonstrate superior clinical, operational, and financial performance in Cardiovascular service. SSM St. Mary's Health Center was among the Top 100 for 2004.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)/Premier Hospital Quality Incentive
The CMS/Premier Hospital Quality Incentive (HQI) Demonstration Project tracks hospital performance on a set of 34 nationally standardized and widely accepted quality indicators and pays annual incentives to top performers among participating hospitals. With four quarters of preliminary data gathered, there is a clear trend toward significantly improved quality among the participating hospitals. SSM DePaul Health Center recently received the prestigious Premier Award for Quality for treatment of patients with community-acquired pneumonia and heart failure. SSM DePaul was only Missouri hospital to receive the award, and one of only three hospitals across the country to be recognized for clinical excellence in multiple categories.
