Sutter Health Measures Up

Northern California Health System and its Affiliates Bare Quality Stats on Web

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March. 1, 2007 – The Internet is becoming an important tool for people who want to quickly and efficiently gather information they can use in making better health care decisions. To help consumers collect the info they need, the Sutter Health network and each of its affiliates have created a special section on their Web sites to openly share information about the quality of care patients receive from the not-for-profit health care system. Sutter Health was among the first health systems in California to make this critical quality data available to everyone online when it posted its quality reports in 2006; affiliate-specific data is now available.

At Sutter Health’s quality reports site - www.sutterhealth.org/quality/ – consumers can easily learn how the Sutter Health network, as a whole, stands up to several nationally recognized measures of quality. Comparisons to state and national standards and Sutter Health's target goals also are provided.

"At Sutter Health, providing quality care is our top priority," said Gordon Hunt M.D., Sutter Health's chief medical officer.

"Historically this kind of information has not been openly shared by health systems across the U.S., but Sutter Health believes it's your right to know how we measure up against key quality benchmarks. We're pulling back the curtain to show consumers exactly where we're doing great and where we need to improve in nationally recognized measures of quality for certain medical conditions," added Dr. Hunt.

Each affiliate of the Sutter Health network also is posting its specific quality measures on its Web site. These affiliate-specific report cards can be found by visiting each facility's Web site or via the Sutter Health site.

The quality measures have been selected by federal and state agencies as well as other independent organizations. Known as "quality indicators," they determine exactly what constitutes as high-quality medical care for certain conditions representing some of the most common and costly conditions that hospitals treat. The quality indicators measure whether important, recommended medical treatments are given to achieve the best results for patients. They are:

• Hospital Quality Indicators:
  • Treatment of heart attack
  • Treatment of heart failure
  • Obstetrics/pregnancy and delivery
  • Pneumonia
  • Patient Satisfaction



• Medical Group Quality Indicators:
  • Childhood immunizations
  • Cervical cancer screening
  • Breast cancer screening
  • Asthma management
  • Diabetes screening
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  • Patient Satisfaction

"Sutter Health is communicating our results in these quality measures because we're committed to partnering with patients so that they have the information they need to make better health care decisions," said Dr. Hunt.

Sutter's quality data also allows the organization and its affiliates to study the effectiveness of their care. When goals aren’t being met, the Sutter network can evaluate and address problems, establish a corrective plan of action, execute the plan and measure the outcome.

These quality Web sites are one more example of how the Sutter Health network is working to provide consumers with increasingly more effective and efficient tools that help them make critical choices about their health care. Sutter Health also candidly communicates information about the system's financial performance, facility master planning and the network's generous charity care policies.

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Contacts
Sutter Health
Karen Garner
(916) 286-8297
garnerk@sutterhealth.org