Introduction
The healthcare system in the United States continues to move into an age of public transparency regarding the quality and safety of care, patient outcomes, and patient satisfaction levels. Consumers of healthcare services are now arguably the most informed they have ever historically been when it comes to making the choice of where they want to receive their healthcare services. This paper was written for the purpose of comparing two hospitals in Idaho, St. Luke’s and St. Alphonsus.
Discussion
The complication of sepsis happens when a person’s body reacts violently to an illness. It harms the body’s organs and, if left untreated, could be fatal. Occasionally, sepsis can progress to septic shock, which carries a higher mortality risk. St. Luke’s does not track the percentage of patients who received adequate treatment for severe sepsis and septic shock, but St. Alphonsus does. It has a rate of 58 per cent higher than the national average but lower than the state average (60%) (Medicare, 2022a; Medicare, 2022b). Favourable patient outcomes depend on prompt and efficient patient treatment in hospital emergency rooms.
For patients with serious diseases or injuries, waiting longer to seek care in the emergency room can lower the quality of care and increase risks and pain. Depending on the number of patients served, staffing levels, efficiency, admission procedures, and the availability of inpatient beds, waiting periods at different hospitals might vary considerably. Patients spent 91 minutes on average in the emergency unit before departing St. Luke’s, which is much less than the state average (152 minutes) (Medicare, 2022a). St. Alphonsus has an average of 130 minutes, and it is much higher in comparison with St. Luke’s; however, it is the average time for the state (Medicare, 2022b). Colleagues and patients in hospitals and healthcare facilities, including those who are more likely to develop these diseases, are susceptible to transmission of the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that all medical staff who work in a healthcare setting receive vaccinations in accordance with CDC recommendations in order to limit the transmission of illness within hospitals. The percentage of healthcare personnel who completed the COVID-19 primary vaccination series in St Luke’s is 83,5%, while in St. Alphonsus is 80,9% (Medicare, 2022a; Medicare, 2022b). The rate of healthcare workers given influenza vaccination in St. Luke’s is 96%, while in St. Alphonsus is 89% (Medicare, 2022a; Medicare, 2022b). However, the number of employees in the second hospital is one and a half times more, and if we consider not the percentage, but the number of people who were vaccinated, then it turns out that in St. Alphonsus, there are more of them.
The overall rating includes several indicators, namely: Mortality, Safety of Care, Readmission, Patient Experience, and Timely and Effective Care. Unfortunately, there are no results of this study for St. Luke, and people can only compare all the indicators with St. Alphonsus and roughly understand the overall rating of the first hospital. St. Alphonsus’ data is open, which already indicates that services in the hospital are more reliable, even if they are high in terms of indicators, but they comply with national standards. After analyzing and comparing the indicators of St. Luke’s and St. Alphonsus, the conclusion is that the first hospital is slightly below the second in the ranking, although this can only be verified with accurate data.
St. Luke’s hospital’s strength appear in some indicators where the percentage is out or the time indicators are lower; however, in most cases, the data is closed and inaccessible, which leaves the patient in an uncomfortable position and the unknown. In St. Alphonsus, almost all indicators are open, and they do not show extraordinary results of the hospital; it is at the average level in the region. However, the patient can analyze and understand how comfortable it will be in this medical institution and whether it will meet his requirements. In general, the strengths of the first hospital are the fast delivery of medical care and the high percentage of vaccinated workers. The second hospital performs all average or above average, which makes it a more attractive choice.
Conclusion
In both cases, as an establishment data manager, I would implement a new method of data collection in order to cross-check the figures. In the first hospital, they simply operate, and in the second hospital, they are average in the state, which can also be questionable; the data must be verified so that the manager can be confident in their organization. Regarding medical care, I would train employees in the second hospital in order to improve time indicators and maintain a good quality of service (Meyers et al., 2020). In many cases, every minute can be critical, and the lower the times, the better. In the first hospital, I would check the competence of all employees since the rating does not reflect them. Summing up, both institutions show themselves as average medical institutions that, in any case, need improvement. Each case is unique, but a general increase in the level of health protection through training activities is necessary.
References
Medicare. (2022a). St Luke’s Elmore medical centre. Medicare.gov. Web.
Medicare. (2022b). St. Alphonsus hospital. Medicare.gov. Web.
Meyers, D. J., Trivedi, A. N., Mor, V., & Rahman, M. (2020). Comparison of the quality of hospitals that admit Medicare advantage patients vs traditional Medicare patients. JAMA Network Open, 3(1).