FORT WORTH, Texas, March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital (HMFW) now offers consumers a Web-based resource and a telephone quality hotline for obtaining information about the hospital’s quality and performance, including a complete list of accreditations, awards and honors.
The Web page, which can be accessed at http://www.texashealth.org/hmfw/quality , allows individuals interested in reviewing the hospital’s quality indicators and outcomes to navigate published data collected and reported by such national organizations as the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Because providing quality care in a safe environment is Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital’s No. 1 priority, hospital administrators support providing information about the quality of care it provides in order to give the public the resources it needs to become better consumers, and to help identify opportunities for improvement, according to Barclay Berdan, president of HMFW.
“Each day we monitor and record quality data and outcomes on such things as congestive heart failure, pneumonia and heart attack,” said Joseph Prosser, M.D., medical director of quality at HMFW. “In our commitment to continuously improve our services, we review this data regularly and look for ways that we can enhance our services, outcomes and care delivery.”
In addition to the information posted on the Web page, consumers may ask a specific question about HMFW’s quality via an email link. Questions are answered in writing, and every effort is made to reply as soon as possible, preferably within one business day.
Understanding that not all consumers have access to the Internet, Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital also provides a quality hotline that allows callers to ask questions on a voicemail that will be answered by letter and navigate a phone bank filled with information about procedures and services. To call the hotline, dial (817) 810-7777.
“Communication and researching services are important steps to quality and safety,” Dr. Prosser said. “We strive to build partnerships and openness with consumers, patients, families, physicians and employees in order to deliver exceptional quality and safety.”
While the hotline and Web-based quality page are valuable resources, Dr. Prosser cautions consumers that quality reports such as those provided by the JCAHO and CMS should only be used as a starting point for making decisions about a health care provider.
“The definition of quality may be very personal and very unique, and indeed, from a national perspective, understanding quality and defining quality is no simple task,” he said.
Published quality reports are just one of the many sources that patients and families can use to choose a hospital. Consumers can also gain valuable insights from talking with their physicians, nurses, friends and family members. Just as standardized test scores do not stand alone as an assessment of the quality of a school, numbers alone cannot convey all there is to know about the quality of a hospital, according to Dr. Prosser.
“I encourage patients and families to use the reported quality measures as a springboard for questions to ask about the hospital,” Dr. Prosser said. “I also encourage patients to discuss any reports or information about their care with their physicians.”
Accreditations, awards and recognitions given by third-party organizations can be another indication of a hospital’s quality, safety and performance.
Most recently for Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital, is the achievement of the Magnet Recognition Program Award for excellence in nursing services from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the nation’s largest and leading nursing credentialing organization within the American Nurses Association (ANA).
According to the ANA, Magnet is the gold standard in patient care and nursing’s highest honor. Less than three percent of hospitals nationwide have achieved the coveted Magnet status, perhaps the most prestigious designation honoring nursing excellence. Of the more than 6,400 hospitals nationwide, HMFW is the 142nd in the United States, and the first in Tarrant County to earn this honor.
In addition, Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital is accredited by the JCAHO, the national accrediting body for health care organizations that sets the standards for national patient safety goals. For nine consecutive years, the hospital has been recognized as a Consumer Choice Award winner by the residents of Fort Worth for being Fort Worth’s most preferred hospital for overall quality and image in a consumer-driven study conducted by the National Research Corporation. Harris also has been voted the “Best Place to Have a Baby,” “Best Childbirth Education Classes,” and “Best Pre and Post Natal Exercise Classes” by Fort Worth Child magazine.
For more information about quality at Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital, call the quality hotline at (817) 810-7777, or log on to http://www.harrismethodisthospitals.org/ and clink on “Quality Info.”
About Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital
Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital (HMFW) is Tarrant County’s largest and busiest hospital and regional referral center. A member of Texas Health Resources, HMFW is licensed for 610 beds and provides the following services: cardiovascular; neurosciences; orthopedics and sports medicine; rehabilitation; adult critical care and neonatal intensive care; high risk and routine obstetrics and gynecology; trauma and emergency medicine; cancer care; medical/surgical; kidney transplants; occupational health; and more. For more information, please call public relations at (817) 882-2550 or e-mail hmfwpublicrelations@texashealth.org.
Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital
CONTACT: Laura Van Hoosier, +1-817-882-2153, or +1-817-930-2000, orlauravanhoosier@texashealth.org , or Ashley Wesson, +1-817-882-2152, or pager,+1-817-930-2515, or ashleywesson@texashealth.org , both of Harris MethodistFort Worth Hospital