Quality Healthcare at Saint Clare’s
At Saint Clare’s Health System, providing extraordinary family-centered care is at the core of everything we do. We are committed to offering our patients the highest quality health care possible, and to ensure that our patients are always satisfied with the care they receive throughout our health system. One of the ways this commitment to quality and continuous focus on quality improvement is evident is through the achievement awards, accreditations, and performance scores that Saint Clare’s has received.
- Quality Score Measures
- Joint Commission Accreditation and Certification
- Get with the Guidelines Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award
- Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence
- Breast Imaging Center of Excellence
- American College of Surgeons Approval with Commendation
- American College of Radiology Accreditation
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine Accreditation
- American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Certification
- Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories Accreditation
- Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories Accreditation
- Leapfrog Hospital Survey
- Infection Control
Quality Score Measures
The Hospital Performance Report – 2011, published by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, shows that Saint Clare’s quality of care rates are among the top performing hospitals in the state.
2011 New Jersey Hospital Performance Report , released March 19, 2012
For heart attack treatment, Saint Clare’s Hospital in Dover and Sussex* achieved a score of 100 percent (among the 1st place hospitals statewide) and Denville achieved a score of 99 percent (among the 2nd place hospitals statewide). For treatment of patients with pneumonia, Saint Clare’s Hospital in Dover achieved a score of 100 percent; Saint Clare’s Hospitals in Denville and Sussex* achieved scores of 99 percent. For surgical care improvement, Saint Clare’s Hospitals were ranked as follows: Denville (97 percent), Dover (96 percent) and Sussex* (92 percent). Lastly, rankings for treatment of heart failure at Saint Clare’s Hospitals were in Dover (98 percent), Sussex (97 percent) and Denville (96 percent).
The Hospital Performance Report ranks New Jersey hospitals on how well each performs in adhering to industry standards in treating pneumonia, heart attacks, heart failure and surgical care improvement.
Joint Commission Accreditation and Certification
Saint Clare's hospitals are accredited by The Joint Commission, including our Behavioral Health Services, Home Care, and multiple Ambulatory Services. Our Denville and Dover campuses are certified by The Joint Commission as a primary stroke center. The Joint Commission is the nation’s leading health care evaluation and accreditation organization.
Get with the Guidelines Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award
Saint Clare’s is a recipient of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award, recognizing commitment and success in implementing excellent care for stroke patients, according to evidence-based practices and the highest standard of care nationally.
Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence
Saint Clare’s Center for Weight Loss Surgery has been designated as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence® by The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). The ASMBS Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence program recognizes surgeons and facilities that demonstrate an unparalleled commitment and ability to consistently deliver safe, effective, evidence-based care. The program is structured to help bariatric surgery providers continuously improve care quality and patient safety.
Breast Imaging Center of Excellence
Saint Clare’s Women’s Health Center in Dover has been designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology (ACR). This designation is awarded to breast imaging centers that achieve excellence by seeking and earning accreditation in all of the ACR’s voluntary breast-imaging accreditation programs and modules, in addition to the mandatory Mammography Accreditation Program. Saint Clare’s Women's Health Center is fully accredited in mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, breast ultrasound, and ultrasound-guided breast biopsy.
American College of Surgeons Approval with Commendation
In 2012, Cancer Care at Saint Clare's was awarded a three-year approval with commendation by the American College of Surgeons (ACOS) Commission on Cancer (CoC). This type of approval is given to programs that comply with all standards and receive a commendation rating for one or more standards. The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to improve quality of care for surgical patients by setting high standards for surgical education and practice.
American College of Radiology Accreditation
In 2010, Saint Clare’s was awarded a three-year term of accreditation by the American College of Radiology (ACR) for each of its Radiation Oncology facilities in Dover and Denville. The ACR awards accreditation to facilities for the achievement of high-practice standards after a peer review evaluation.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine Accreditation
In 2009, Saint Clare’s Center for Sleep Medicine received a five-year accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), recognizing a commitment to the provision of quality diagnostic services and the longitudinal management of sleep patients. AASM center accreditation reflects a commitment to ensure that sleep disorder patients receive the highest quality of care.
American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Certification
In September 2011, Saint Clare’s Pulmonary Rehabilitation received its second consecutive three-year certification from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR), recognizing commitment to improving quality of life by enhancing standards of care. The AACVPR Program Certification is the only peer-reviewed accreditation process designed to review individual programs for adherence to standards and guidelines developed and published by the AACVPR and other professional societies.
Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories Accreditation
In 2010, Saint Clare’s Echocardiography Laboratories in Denville and Dover received a three-year accreditation from the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL). ICAEL accreditation recognizes labs for commitment to high quality patient care and provision of quality diagnostic testing.
Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories Accreditation
In 2010, Saint Clare’s Vascular Laboratories in Denville, Dover, and Sussex received a three-year accreditation from the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL). This nationally recognized accreditation assures accuracy, quality and patient safety.
Leapfrog Hospital Survey
Saint Clare’s hospitals in Denville, Dover, and Sussex* ranked among the top hospitals in the country in the 2010 Leapfrog Hospital Survey. The Leapfrog Hospital Survey is a national, evidence-based survey of hospital safety, quality, and efficiency.
Annually, over 1,200 hospitals report to the Leapfrog Hospital Survey on certain aspects of care found to be of most importance to consumers. Leapfrog’s survey has three overall focus areas: how patients fare, resources used to care for those patients, and management practices that promote safety and quality.
To view and compare the latest hospital survey results – including Saint Clare’s scores for safety and quality standards – please follow the link to Leapfrog’s reporting site.
Infection Control
Saint Clare’s success in infection control initiatives, aimed at the prevention of healthcare associated infections, include:
Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) Prevention
Saint Clare’s prides itself on having “zero” ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) for four consecutive years, as of 2011. In 2005, Saint Clare’s joined the 100,000 Lives Campaign, a nationwide initiative launched by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and implemented evidenced-based practices to prevent this infection.
Winner of the IHI Innovation Challenge: Reducing Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Infection
In 2008, Saint Clare’s won the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Innovation Challenge: Reducing Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Infection. To achieve this accolade, Saint Clare’s implemented multiple initiatives including a hand hygiene campaign, development of infection liaisons, screenings and many other infection control practices – and was able to demonstrate reducing MRSA infections.
IHI Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Mentor Hospital Designation
Saint Clare’s has been designated as an Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Mentor Hospital since 2008. As a mentor hospital, Saint Clare’s has a national leadership role in guiding healthcare workers, including the public sector, in the prevention and control of MRSA infections. Saint Clare’s Infection Control Preventionists (ICP’s) are called on to share best practices, providing webinars in multiple states, including New Jersey. Healthcare practitioners across the nation can also call individually on Saint Clare’s ICP’s for advice, policy examples, or best practices information.
* Note that as of September 21, 2012, Saint Clare's Hospital in Sussex transformed to Saint Clare's Health Center at Sussex.
