Falmouth Hospital cited nationally for performance improvement

Published on Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Cape Cod Healthcare is pleased to announce that Falmouth Hospital has been chosen as one of the nation’s performance improvement leaders, by Thomson Reuters, a global health care information leader.

Falmouth Hospital was recognized for being one of 100 hospitals making the greatest progress in improving hospital-wide performance over five consecutive years (2002-2006). The 2007 Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals®: Performance Improvement Leaders have set national benchmarks for the rate and consistency of improvement in clinical outcomes, safety, hospital efficiency, and financial stability. The award confirms that Falmouth Hospital and its medical staff have made major strides in increasing the quality and efficiency of services locally.

“It’s a tremendous accomplishment,” said Richard F. Salluzzo, M.D., President and CEO, Cape Cod Healthcare. “We are delighted that Falmouth Hospital has been recognized as one of the most improved hospitals in the nation. Our physicians, nurses and other health professionals work extremely hard to produce the highest level of patient satisfaction and quality health care for the Cape’s residents and visitors, and this recognition substantiates that commitment.”
Findings from the fifth annual Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals®: Performance Improvement Leaders studies appear in the August 11, 2008, issue of Modern Healthcare magazine.

“This study identifies superior leadership, based on the success of hospital executive teams’ long-term strategies for strengthening performance,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals programs at Thomson Reuters. “These are true ‘Good to Great’ leadership teams that have focused on improving quality, efficiency, use of evidence-based medicine, and financial stability in order to better serve their patients and communities.” 

The Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals®: Performance Improvement Leaders study analyzed acute care hospitals nationwide using detailed empirical performance data from years 2002 through 2006, including publicly available Medicare MedPAR data, Medicare cost reports, and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) outpatient data.

The study rated hospitals on eight factors — patient mortality, medical complications, patient safety, length of stay, expenses, profitability, cash-to-debt ratio, and use of evidence-based medicine. Researchers evaluated 2,867 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals grouped into five categories: major teaching hospitals, other teaching hospitals, large community hospitals, medium-sized community hospitals, and small community hospitals.

A total of 100 hospitals from throughout the country were selected as part of this program. Falmouth Hospital was selected in the Small Community Hospital category (25 to 99 acute care beds). Falmouth Hospital is one of only four New England hospitals on the list, joining Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Boston, and Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

“This honor reflects a collaborative, team approach to quality and administrative performance which defines Falmouth Hospital,” said Susan Wing, Chief Operating Officer, Falmouth Hospital. “I am very proud of our entire team at Falmouth Hospital for this tremendous accomplishment. This honor should reinforce for our patients and their families that top-quality healthcare is available right here.”
“As the healthcare industry struggles with myriad challenges today, including reducing costs and contending with increased competition,” added Daniel Kombert. M.D., Medical Director of Falmouth Hospital, “it is paramount that we stay sharply focused on top quality patient care. This honor reinforces that Falmouth Hospital is addressing the challenges of today without sacrificing quality of care.”

Falmouth Hospital is a partner within Cape Cod Healthcare, a comprehensive, regional healthcare system spanning the entire Cape. Cape Cod Healthcare is the leading provider of healthcare services for residents and visitors of Cape Cod. With more than 400 physicians and 4,500 employees, Cape Cod Healthcare has two-acute care hospitals, the largest home health services agency on the Cape (VNA), skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities, an assisted living facility and numerous health programs. For more information, visit Cape Cod Healthcare’s web site at www.capecodhealth.org.

About Thomson Reuters
The Healthcare business of Thomson Reuters produces insights, information, benchmarks and analysis that enable organizations to manage costs, improve performance and enhance the quality of healthcare. Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, scientific, healthcare and media markets, powered by the world’s most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 50,000 people in 93 countries. For more information, go to www.thomsonreuters.com.