pneumonia care are
focus of state report
Heart attack and
pneumonia care are
focus of state report
BY VINCEECHAVARIA
Staff Writer
Documentation problems were blamed for Bayshore Community Hospital’s low ratings in heart attack and pneumonia care in a recent state report, according to hospital officials.
The hospital, located in Holmdel, scored third lowest in the state for heart attack care and tied for fifth lowest for pneumonia care.
The state Department of Health and Senior Services issued its first-ever ratings for state hospitals, focusing on heart attack and pneumonia care, in a July 1 report.
In the report, percentage ratings were given for over 80 state hospitals with 100 being the highest. Bayshore was listed at 74 percent for heart attack care and 64 percent for pneumonia care.
The hospital’s third-lowest score for heart attack care was ahead of only East Orange General Hospital, East Orange, and St. Joseph’s Wayne Hospital, Wayne, which were listed at 50 and 69 percent respectively. For pneumonia care, Bayshore was tied with Cooper Hospital University Medical Center, Camden, for the fifth lowest score.
"Obviously, we’re not pleased with the scores, and we take them very seriously," said Dr. Gerald Costa, Bayshore’s vice president of medical affairs.
Costa said he joined Bayshore’s staff seven months ago to help improve its quality of care. The low ratings in the two categories were based on issues of treatment documentation, not on the quality of care, he said.
Most of the scores were based on information gathered from hospitals between Jan. 1, 2003, and Sept. 30, 2003. The hospital has made some improvements since that time, Costa said.
"We’ve concentrated on moving ahead with education for all staff and improvements in documentation," he said. "We want to improve and we’re committed to moving forward to make Bayshore the best hospital in the area."
Bayshore will have its staff work together to focus on the issues of quality care and teamwork, Costa said.
In the heart attack care scores, hospitals were judged on criteria including aspirin provided to victims on arrival and discharge, and beta-blockers provided to heart attack patients.
Pneumonia care criteria included patient oxygen assessment, vaccination screening and antibiotics provided within the first four hours of arrival.
Patricia Hansen, director of public relations for Bayshore, said the low score for heart attack care can be attributed to documentation of aspirin given to arriving heart attack patients.
Among the five hospitals rated in the county, Bayshore had the lowest percentage in both categories of care.
"Documentation is the reason," Costa explained. "We’re making a concerted effort to improve it through computer systems and education. Our quality care is just as good as the other hospitals in the area."
The categories of heart attack and pneumonia care are only two indicators of the many different treatments that are offered at Bayshore, Costa said.
"It’s a score of just two indicators, and there are many indicators involved in a good hospital," he said. "We look over all the impacts of the hospital in giving quality care."
The treatment for heart attacks and pneumonia is an important focus for Bayshore to provide quality care, he said. The results of the ratings may not be as strong as other hospitals because Bayshore is not a trauma center.
"We put our heart and mind behind the treatment, and we’ll make a positive effort to have the results down the road more suitable," Costa added.
Despite the ratings, there are many patients that seek pneumonia treatment at Bayshore, and the hospital has an excellent emergency department, Hansen said. Patients will continue to come to Bayshore if they’ve had a good prior experience, she said.
"This is only one indicator," she said of the report. "There are many other factors in choosing a provider."
Costa said patients will see that Bayshore does provide good quality care.
"Education is the key," Costa said. "We need to educate the people involved in all aspects, with a whole team approach."
The hospital has already started to make some changes through a team effort, by offering services for more education and speaking to other area hospitals about how to improve, he said.
"We welcome the opportunity to improve, and we will work as diligently as we can," Costa said.
"Hopefully the good care we’ve provided throughout the years will be used to determine patients’ satisfaction," Hansen said.
Dr. Douglas Bechard, vice president of clinical effectiveness for Meridian Health, spoke on behalf of Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank, for the hospital’s ratings, which were listed at 91 percent for heart attack care and 70 percent for pneumonia care.
"Consumers should look at many measures to determine the quality offered at a particular hospital," he said.