Quality

To ensure quality, we frequently assess our healthcare quality and safety. We evaluate quality through examining specialty, facility and patient satisfaction.

To show our commitment to your safety and that we provide the best quality care, we compiled the most relevant and current quality treatment data. We urge patients and families to evaluate our care reports so you’ll feel secure in choosing Virtua for their care.

Here, we report on key standard measures that represent overall hospital quality:

• Blood Clot Prevention and Treatment
• Emergency Care Treatment
• Heart Attack Care
• Pregnancy and Delivery Care
• Stroke Care

Virtua is a leader in healthcare processes and technologies designed to ensure patient safety and quality of care. From emergency room procedures to electronic medical records and Smart Pumps for IV medication, we continually look to improve outcomes and help keep you safe.

Combining high tech with high-touch
Precise communication is a cornerstone of outstanding care and safety, but it can be challenging in the complex environment of a hospital. That’s why Virtua has refined the way we exchange patient information.

One example: During a nursing shift change, patient report is conducted right at the bedside. The incoming nurse is updated with “eyes-on” the patient, and the patient is included in the discussion. Details are recorded in a sophisticated electronic medical record, ensuring that every patient’s medical information is accurately reported.

New technology for advanced care
Another lifesaving technology we use is capnography, which is a system for monitoring your breathing while on pain medication. It detects the slightest rise in carbon dioxide levels and alerts your medical team to any changes in breathing.

Additional cutting edge technology-based care at Virtua includes early lung cancer screening and the BARRx procedure to treat pre-cancerous lesions of the esophagus.

Patient satisfaction is very important to us. We care about your impression of Virtua and value your feedback. To gauge your satisfaction, we randomly select 50 percent of patients to receive surveys, which are processed by Press Ganey Associates in South Bend, Indiana. Press Ganey is the company used by almost 6,000 medical facilities nationwide.

These satisfaction surveys ask patients to give their opinion of their entire experience - from care provided by nurses and physicians to food and facilities. Patients complete and return the survey directly to Press Ganey which ensures the results are processed objectively. The data is reported to Virtua on a monthly basis and we continuously review these results.

Virtua also relies on patient data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS), which has been formally endorsed by the National Quality Forum (NQF), an organization established to standardize health care quality measurement and reporting.

About 24 percent of patients who receive a survey take the time to complete and return it. We monitor trends and take actions that ensure improvements. These surveys help us to identify areas where we can do better.

Virtua is continually strengthening its systems to be more patient centered. Our CarePartners, for example, add extra eyes and hands to help patients around the clock, at moments in between clinician visits. Another way we assess patient experience is through our GetWell Network, which is a sophisticated in-room television system that allows patients to watch educational videos, movies, and give us instant feedback about their stay.

If you would like to comment on a recent experience, please call 1-888-VIRTUA-3 (1-888-847-8823).

What does accreditation mean for a hospital?
To gain accreditation, medical programs must meet certain quality standards. Accreditation is typically provided by independent organizations that visit health systems to evaluate their adherence to these standards. Virtua invites a number of accrediting bodies to review our services. Learn about Virtua's accreditations and some recent awards.

What does it mean for a physician to be board certified?
Board certification is an indication that a physician is highly trained. Board certification means that a physician has met the demanding requirements of a voluntary independent organization, which focuses on a particular specialty. These organizations have established training and testing criteria to evaluate the physician. Physicians who are undergoing this evaluation process are called board eligible.

For a physician to become a member of the medical staffs of Virtua, there are several requirements. One is that the doctor must be board certified in the area in which they are requesting privileges within five years of first being eligible to sit for the board.

To learn whether a physician is board certified or about his/her medical education and training, check the physician locator or call 1-888-VIRTUA-3 (1-888-847-8823).

What's evidence-based medicine?
Evidence based medicine is when a review of outcomes studies demonstrates the best practices in an area of medicine. One example is the research on the positive results when patients demonstrate the symptoms of a heart attack and are given appropriate cardiac drugs and treated with appropriate measures.