Clinical Excellence
Based on research and national standards, the following are things that should not happen while patients are in the hospital. Stanford Health Care is a leader in this area and provides recommended care more often than most other hospitals in the nation.
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Quality and Safety Data
Preventing Infections
Healthcare-associate infections are infections patients may get while in the hospital. In pursuit of clinical excellence, Stanford Health Care works to prevent these infections. The following table shows performance for some types of infections that occurred in 2024 and how we hope to further improve.
|
1
Quality Measure |
1
How does SHC do? |
1
How does SHC Compare? |
1
Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1
Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in ICUs and select wards |
1
0.610 |
1
Better than the national benchmark. |
1
0.7 |
|
1
Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) in ICUs and select wards |
1
0.593 |
1
Better than the national benchmark. |
1
0.5 |
|
1
Clostridium difficile (C.diff.) intestinal infections |
1
0.452 |
1
Better than the national benchmark. |
1
0.4 |
|
1
Surgical site infections (SSI) from colon surgery |
1
0.862 |
1
No different than the national benchmark. |
1
0.6 |
Hospital-acquired, potentially preventable blood clots
Timeframe: 10/1/17 – 9/30/18
All patients admitted to the hospital are at an increased risk of developing blood clots in their veins (also called venous thromboembolism or VTE). Hospitals try to prevent blood clots by routinely evaluating patients for their risk of developing blood clots and by using appropriate prevention. Prevention can include compression devices, blood thinners, and other medicines. This measure shows the percentage of patients who did not receive the preventive treatment and developed a blood clot while in the hospital.
How is Stanford Health Care with giving treatment and preventing hospital-acquired blood clots?
Lower number is better.
|
1
Stanford Health Care |
1
Average of all hospitals in the nation |
|---|---|
|
1
2% |
1
3% |
Life-Saving Care:
Many patients admitted to Stanford Health Care are very sick with complicated medical conditions that decrease their chances for survival. The following death (mortality) rates are estimates of deaths in the 30 days after either entering the hospital for a specific condition or after having a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Deaths can be for any reason, can occur in the hospital, or can happen after discharge. The death rates consider how sick patients were before they were admitted to the hospital and adjust for that.
This information is important because one way to tell if a hospital is doing a good job is to see if the death rate at the hospital is better than, the same as, or worse than the U.S. national average. Lower numbers are better.
Patients included: Only Medicare patients are included in these calculations.
Timeframe: 7/1/2015 – 6/30/2018
|
1
Specific condition or surgery type |
1
Stanford Health Care death rate |
1
Average death rate of all hospitals in the nation |
1
Statistically better, same, or worse |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1
Heart attack |
1
11.7% |
1
12.9% |
1
Same |
|
1
Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) |
1
2.6% |
1
3.1% |
1
Same |
|
1
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) |
1
7.4% |
1
8.5% |
1
Same |
|
1
Heart failure |
1
6.6% |
1
11.5% |
1
Better |
|
1
Pneumonia |
1
14.4% |
1
15.6% |
1
Same |
|
1
Acute ischemic stroke |
1
16.4% |
1
13.8% |
1
Same |
Stanford Health Care Medicare heart failure patients experience a lower death rate than patients across the nation. Our rates are not only lower, but are also statistically better than the rest of the nation. In four of the six conditions above, although statistically the same, patients experience a lower death rate (better performance) than the national average Acute ischemic stroke is the only condition with a higher death rate, although still statistically the same as the national rate.
What is Stanford Health Care doing to continuously improve the care of our stroke patients?
Stanford Health Care uses a coordinated approach and many specialists like vascular neurology, neurocritical care, neurosurgery, interventional neuroradiology, rehabilitation, social work, pharmacy, and nutrition to provide the best care possible for every patient every time. That care was reviewed and, in 2012, Stanford Health Care received the first ever Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center designation in the county, shortly after it was launched by The Joint Commission. It was recertified in 2014 and 2016 (this is a two-year certification) and continues to be the leader in treating and caring for the most-complex stroke patients.
For more information about what we are doing to improve the care of our stroke patients, please visit our Stroke Center page.
For further details about these and other measures, please visit Medicare.gov | Hospital Compare but keep in mind that there are other important factors to consider as you measure quality or are choosing a hospital. Some of those other factors for your consideration can be found here.