Questions to Ask
Questions You Should Ask, Answers You Should Hear
 Most of us seem to do more research when we buy a car than when we make a health care decision that may have lifelong implications. And with more and more health care choices available, the decision becomes even more difficult.
Few resources exist to help consumers rate health care or hospitals the way Consumer Reports rates refrigerators. Most of us don't even know what questions to ask, let alone what answers to look for when choosing where to have a surgery. That's exactly why we have developed this resource for you.
There are many things to think about before making any important decisions, and this is especially true when it comes to your health. Before specifically deciding on a hospital or where to receive your health care, there are some important safety and quality issues to consider.
Each patient has the right to CHOOSE where to have his or her surgery. This is an important decision and for your own well-being. Make an informed choice. You should be comfortable not only with the choice of your surgeon, but also with the facility and surgical staff.
Questions to Ask
- Is there access to an on-site physician 24/7?
- What are the resources of a full-service hospital?
- How do the infection rates compare nationally?
- What steps are taken for quality monitoring and control?
- Is the hospital accredited or certified?
- Is the staff experienced and specially trained?
- Anesthesia Services: Who's Watching Your Vital Signs?
- Is there a full-range of services within the facility?
- Are there state-of-the-art instruments and equipment in the operating room?
- How much privacy do patients have before and after surgery?
- Are the patients satisfied with their care?
- Is there a continuum of care available from before your operation to rehabilitation?
- Is the hospital a non-profit or a for-profit and what difference does that make?
- Are financial options available?
1. Is there access to an on-site physician 24/7?
Your surgeon will perform your procedure and your personal physician may visit you in the hospital. For your safety and security, Avera Sacred Heart also has a physician at the hospital around the clock to ensure you receive the care and attention you need at any time as you recover in the hospital.
[top]
2. What are the resources of a full-service hospital?
As the community's only full-service, acute care hospital, Avera Sacred Heart provides all of the clinical and support services you need. Our expert surgical team includes your surgeon, anesthesiologist, certified nurse anesthetists, specially-trained nurses, respiratory therapists, a pathologist and lab team, a radiologist and related technologists - all under the same roof. In other words, we can handle any situation that can arise during your surgical procedure. In addition, if an unforseen complication arises post-operatively, we also have an intensive care unit, rapid response team and emergency department if a higher level of care is required. Following surgery, our team of rehabilitation specialists can help you regain mobility and get you back to your busy life. Home care services are also available if needed.
[top]
3. How do the infection rates compare nationally?
Infection rates are monitored as part of larger quality control and patient safety initiatives. For more than a decade, infection rates at Avera Sacred Heart have been well below the national benchmark of 3 per 1,000 patient days (published by the Centers for Disease Control). Click here for a complete list of our infection rates. We also encourage you to contact Jan Johnson, RN, Infection Control Coordinator, if you have questions or would like additional information. The Hospital also has the expert staff needed to treat patients who have acquired a post-surgical infection, regardless of where the procedure was performed.
[top]
4. What steps are taken for quality monitoring, control and improvement?
Avera Sacred Heart continually strives for the highest level of quality care because we believe our patients deserve the best. To help meet our goals of meeting these high levels of care we voluntarily take part in national quality initiative measures such as Joint Commission accreditation, World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Initiatives - this is in addition to meeting or exceeding all state and federal quality guidelines. We learn from and share best practices with local, national and global health care facilities. We monitor the standard metrics and more - everything from the time it takes to schedule your surgery and your pain level following your procedure to your satisfaction with your overall experience and outcomes upon recovery.
More hospitals are trying to improve the quality of their care by tracking patient outcomes for certain procedures. By finding out what works and what doesn't, the hospital can improve the way it treats patients. Avera Sacred Heart's performance improvement process monitors patient outcomes through an ongoing, intensive patient improvement process and uses the data to improve patient care.
[top]
5. Is the hospital accredited or certified?
There is a difference. Certification is mandatory whereas accreditation is voluntary. Certifiied means you meet the minimum requirements set by the state and the Center for Medicare/Medicaid, whereas accreditation is voluntarily accepting and meeting the highest standards as established The Joint Commission (JC), an independent nonprofit organization. The JC conducts a quality assessment of over 5,000 or 80 percent of all hospitals in the United States at least once every three years. Avera Sacred Heart's Joint Commission accreditation assures there are policies and procedures in place to provide the safest possible environment for both patients and staff. Avera Sacred Heart is the only hospital in the 15-county region to attain this designation.
[top]
6. Is the staff experienced and specially trained?
According to the Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality, hospitals that do many of the same types of procedures on a regular basis tend to have better success with them. In addition to choosing your surgeon and the facility, the surgical staff and their credentials are important factors to consider. The surgical team at Avera Sacred Heart - operating and recovery room nurses, surgical techs and nurse anesthesia providers - has over 700 years of combined experience. In fiscal year 2009 , this experienced team handled over 3,500 complex and same-day surgery procedures.
[top]
7. Anesthesia Services: Who's Watching Your Vital Signs?
Your anesthesia provider is an important member of the surgical team. Avera Sacred Heart is the only hospital in the region to have medical doctors of anesthesia (MDA), overseeing patient care, along with seven certified nurse anesthetists (CRNA's) on staff. Anesthesiologists are trained to detect potential problems in surgery and recovery along with being experts in managing post-operative pain. They carefully screen each patient and then supervise the plan of care in collaboration with the CRNAs, who themselves are supervised by the MDA. Avera Sacred Heart Hospital has three medical doctors of anesthesiology on staff.
[top]
8. Is there a full-range of services within the facility?
If a complication occurs during surgery, you want the best medical care and you want it immediately. To answer a simple question - if something goes wrong, you won't have to call 911 and wait for an ambulance. At Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, you have immediate access to a full range of health care services. If there are not critical care services available in a facility, it's a fair question to ask how will an emergency be handled? Avera Sacred Heart has a physician on duty 24-hours a day, every day of the year, along with a highly trained staff in the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit available in-house to handle emergent and urgent situations.
[top]
9. Are there state-of-the-art instruments and equipment in the operating room?
Avera Sacred Heart invests $3 to $4 million each year to upgrade technology or purchase new hospital equipment to ensure the highest quality care available. It's a rapidly changing world in health care technology and Avera Sacred Heart Hospital is dedicated to providing the latest technology available.
[top]
10. How much privacy do patients have before and after surgery?
Hospitals should be very concerned about patient's right to privacy. Avera Sacred Heart takes privacy very seriously and offers fully enclosed, private pre- and post-operative rooms to ensure patient confidentiality.
[top]
11. Are the patients satisfied with their care?
Patient satisfaction surveys provide input from the experience of many patients and can predict what your experience in a particular hospital will be. Avera Sacred Heart compares itself to other hospitals in the nation as well as in the Avera Health system. Patient liaison representatives assigned to the surgical and medical floors daily assess patient satisfaction. The current patient satisfaction ranking for Avera Sacred Heart's Same Day Surgery Department (as conducted by Press Ganey, the nation's leading independent patient satisfaction survey firm) rank ASHH in the top 5% in the nation as compared to more than 700 facilities nationwide (July 2009).
[top]
12. Is there a continuum of care available from before your operation to rehabilitation?
Often, patients and families are faced with finding rehabilitation programs after surgery. Issues to consider are the extent and speed of recovery, patient comfort, and family involvement in the process. Avera Sacred Heart provides both inpatient and outpatient rehab services with physical, occupational and speech therapists.
[top]
13. Is the hospital a non-profit or a for-profit and what difference does that make?
As a non-profit hospital, Avera Sacred Heart reinvests in other services that need subsidizing to exist such as the Emergency Department, staffed 24 hours a day by a physician and support team. Avera Sacred Heart's earnings are reinvested into the community, not distributed to shareholders. Avera Sacred Heart contributed over $2.1 million towards community service and corporate citizenship programs in fiscal year 2009. As a nonprofit hospital, Avera Sacred Heart accepts all patients regardless of their ability to pay and provided over $1.7 million of free care to 874 people last year.
[top]
14. Are financial options available?
Hospital charges vary and pricing estimates may not compare "apples to apples." What do the charges include? Does my health plan cover care at the hospital? Are there payment installment plan options or resources for financial assistance? At Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, we have a team of insurance claim experts in our business office ready to help you understand your bill, your insurance and help you navigate the process.
[top]
|
