Hospital credits the use of leading best practices as key to becoming top performing hospital
Vaughan/Richmond Hill, ON –Mackenzie Health is pleased to confirm it has made further improvements to its Hospital Standardized Mortality Ratios (HSMR). In a national report released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Mackenzie Health achieved an HSMR score of 80 for the 2011/2012 year. In 2010/2011, the hospital's score was 84. HSMR enables hospitals to monitor and track their progress in quality of care.
The lower the HSMR score the better a hospital is performing in reducing the number of deaths that might ordinarily be expected in treating patients with serious and life threatening illness.
A number of factors contributed to the hospital's improved ratio including:
- Major organization-wide focus on patient safety
- Rigorous tracking of hospital acquired infections, coordinated management of patients with communicable infections, and enhanced infection control measures
- A Critical Care Response Team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for all patient care areas
- A comprehensive program promoting best practices in hand hygiene
- Ensuring antibiotics are given at the optimal time for surgery patients
- Anti-microbial Stewardship Program
- Improved documentation and coding to capture relevant information in patient charts
- Adherence to multiple best practice guidelines including but not limited to the assessment, management and prevention of presser ulcers, delirium, and stroke protocol
- Hospital-wide implementation of a falls prevention program resulting in overall downward trend in falls within the hospital
- Medication reconciliation project which has resulted in process and system improvements to enhance patient safety and decrease medication discrepancies
HSMR is a patient safety measure which compares a hospital's mortality rate with a national standard. It is adjusted for other factors affecting mortality such as age, sex, and length of hospital stay. HSMR is used by hospitals around the world to help them identify what changes they may want to make in order to help improve patient safety and the quality of care and to track their progress over time.
HSMR is a ratio of "observed" to "expected" deaths, multiplied by 100. A ratio greater than 100 means more deaths occurred than expected, while a ratio less than 100 suggests fewer deaths occurred than expected.
Quotes
"Mackenzie Health remains committed to delivering expert care. I am very pleased our hard work has resulted in continually improving HSMR numbers. These results indicate we are heading in the right direction and are well on our way to achieving our vision to create a world-class health experience," said Altaf Stationwala, Mackenzie Health, President and CEO.
"These positive results are further evidence of the diligence, dedication and quality of care provided by the entire team at Mackenzie Health, says Jo-anne Marr, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital. "From physicians and nurses to cleaning and food services staff, everyone has a strong commitment to patient safety, such as practicing good hand hygiene which is of utmost importance for reducing infections and the spread of disease. The results of these concerted efforts, along with a number of other actions, are evident in our HSMR score."
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Backgrounder
Quick Facts
- Mackenzie Health is the major regional healthcare provider for Southwest York Region.
- Mackenzie Health will include two hospital sites – the future Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital and the existing Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital (formerly known as York Central Hospital).
- Southwest York Region is known as one of the fastest growing and most diverse communities in Canada. The new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital will be the first new hospital to be built in the Southwest York Region in 50 years.
- The Government of Ontario granted approval to begin Stage Two planning in February. Construction will begin in 2015/16. The new hospital is scheduled to be fully operational in 2018/19.
About the Hospital Standardized Mortality Ratio
The Hospital Standard Mortality Ratio (HSMR) is an important measurement tool that provides hospitals with a starting point to assess their mortality trends, identify opportunities for improvement and track their progress.
HSMR is calculated by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), and the results are posted annually on the CIHI website. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care will provide a link to these results as of December 14, 2012.
How is HSMR calculated?
HSMR = Observed Deaths
------------------------ X 100
Expected Deaths
Observed deaths: Number of deaths in a hospital
Expected deaths: Expected number of deaths based on overall mortality in the reference year.
The HSMR is adjusted for other factors affecting mortality, such as age, sex, and length of stay.
Are HSMR results posted for all Ontario hospitals?
No, only certain hospitals are included in the CIHI reporting. Some hospitals' results were not included because they did not meet CIHI's sample size requirements (2,500 qualifying cases in each of the three years being released). The HSMR calculation is less precise when hospitals treat fewer cases.
In addition, specialty hospitals were not included because they treat a different type of patient. The information gathered from specialty hospitals would not be comparable to figures compiled by general hospitals.
How should HSMR be interpreted?
- An HSMR equal to 100 suggests that there is no difference between the hospital's mortality rate and the overall average rate;
- An HSMR greater than 100 suggests that the local mortality rate is higher than the overall average;
- An HSMR less than 100 suggests that the local mortality rate is lower than the overall average.
It is important to note that HSMR is not designed for comparisons between hospitals; it is intended to track a hospital's trend over time.