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The August 2012 edition of Consumer Reports gave O’Connor Hospital the highest safety rank among the San Jose hospitals who participated in the study. O’Connor Hospital received a safety score of 57 out of 100.

Nationally, Consumer Reports gave the highest safety rank to Billings Clinic in Montana, 72; and the lowest to Sacred Heart Hospital in Chicago, 16. This is the first time Consumer Reports rated hospitals for safety, according to the August edition. Hospitals were given scores after Consumer Reports looked at six categories: avoiding infections, avoiding re-admissions, communicating with patients about medicine and discharge, appropriate use of chest and abdominal scanning, avoiding serious complications and mortality.

“O’Connor Hospital has worked on building a safety culture, and we are constantly working to improve the patient experience,” said O’Connor Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer George Block, MD.  “This report affirms we are on the right path.”

O’Connor Hospital has made patient safety a top priority through a variety of process improvements and programs:

• A Vice President of Patient Safety reports directly to the O’Connor Hospital CEO and is a member of the senior administrative team, with responsibility for implementing policies, procedures and programs to ensure safe practices and a culture of patient safety throughout the hospital.
• Patients and families regularly attend the O’Connor Hospital Board Quality and Patient Safety Committee to speak about their experience at O’Connor Hospital. This helps the hospital make improvements in patient care and safety that are valuable and sustainable.
• O’Connor Hospital’s Electronic Medical Record system, still being enhanced and developed, can help improve patient care through instant access to patient data so caregivers can make better, faster and more informed decisions.
• Condition H: Condition H (HELP) was created to address the needs of the patient in case of an emergency or when the patient is unable to get the attention of a health care provider. Condition H is a process that allows family members to directly access our Rapid Response Team (RRT) if they are concerned about their loved one.
• OB Hospitalist Program: An obstetrician is available in the O’Connor Hospital Family Center around the clock to respond to unexpected emergencies and care for patients who do not have a health care provider. They also support other obstetricians as back-up for deliveries and emergency C-sections and are directly involved in improving care for our maternity patients.
• At the core of the CARE program at O’Connor Hospital was a mandate to reduce sepsis mortality by 25 percent. This mandate was met and now nurses and physicians are working together to sustain and continue to lower the incidence of sepsis mortality at O’Connor Hospital. Clinicians at the bedside hold each other accountable for improved outcomes on their unit through teamwork and good communication.

“Patients and their families are our partners in patient safety, and we encourage them to educate themselves by reading and asking questions,” said James Dover, FACHE, O’Connor Hospital President & CEO. “Reports like this one underscore our commitment to patient safety. Our rating reflects the progress we have made on our quest for continuous performance improvement and becoming a high-reliability organization.”

To view the report in its entirety please click here.

For more information, visit www.consumerreports.org

About O’Connor Hospital: O’Connor Hospital, a member of Daughters of Charity Health System, is an acute care, not-for-profit, Catholic community hospital that has served Santa Clara County longer than any other hospital in the region. Key services at O’Connor include cardiology, oncology, mother-baby care, orthopedic services, vascular care, wound care and emergency services. O’Connor Hospital sponsors the Pediatric Center for Life and the Stanford-affiliated Family Medicine Residency Program. O’Connor is a Joint Commission designated Primary Stroke Center.