At Hunterdon Medical Center quality is defined in terms of patient safety, clinical quality and patient experience. We strive for excellence in all of these areas. Our high scores and earned recognition from notable healthcare rating organization attest to our high quality. You can be confident that you will receive the best possible care at Hunterdon Medical Center and throughout Hunterdon Healthcare System. 

Patient Safety

Leapfrog Hospital Survey and Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield 
Hospital Recognition Program

Hunterdon Medical Center has achieved one of the best scores in quality and safety in the country. It is ranked one of the top three hospitals in New Jersey, receiving an award of $229,500 for this achievement from Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

Hunterdon Medical Center has been commended by Leapfrog Group and Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield’s Hospital Recognition Program for its outstanding achievements in improving patient safety, clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction.   The Leapfrog Group’s annual voluntary survey measures hospital performance in essential areas of patient safety, quality of care, and efficiency. The efficiency score blends patient outcomes, length of stay, readmission rates, and incidence of hospital-acquired conditions and infections to reflect additional safety and quality practices that are in place.  The 2010 reports contain data from 1,172 general hospitals in 42 states.

State Hospital Performance Report 

Each year the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services releases its annual Hospital Performance Report.  The public report provides hospital-specific data on a number of performance indicators such as a heart attack, pneumonia treatment, congestive heart failure and surgical infection prevention.  This year’s report contains the first-time release of data on hospital-associated infections, specifically central line  blood stream infections.  The report also contains patient safety indicators, which include information reported by an individual hospital.  Hunterdon Medical Center was among the top 50 percent of New Jersey hospitals for effectively treating patients with a heart attack, pneumonia, congestive heart failure and surgical infection prevention.

Proficient surgical and operating room procedures can prevent many post-operative infections and post-operative complications. The most critical factors in the prevention of post-operative infections are the sound judgment and proper technique of the surgeon and surgical team as well as the general health and disease state of the patient. 
Hunterdon Medical Center had zero instances of patients with foreign bodies left in during a procedure, post-operative hip fractures, post-operative sepsis or infection, post-operative wound dehiscence (opening) and transfusion reactions. 

Healthcare associated infections (HAI’s) are among the top causes of unnecessary illnesses and deaths in the United States.  HAI’s are infections that patients get while staying in a hospital. These are infections that the patient did not have before being admitted.  Central line blood stream infections occur when bacteria travel down a “central line,” or a catheter placed near the heart, and enter the blood.  Hunterdon Medical Center is part of the New Jersey Hospital Association’s Intensive Care Unit Collaborative to reduce central line infections.  Hunterdon Medical Center reported two HAI infections, which was similar to the national baseline.  For the prior two years, Hunterdon Medical Center had reported zero central line infections.  Hunterdon Medical Center had previously instituted checklists for use during the insertion of central lines, which have been shown to reduce such infections.

“Data reporting initiatives like this one are an important part of the process.  We use this information to identify potential trouble spots and design better processes to protect our patients.  It is part of our never-ending efforts to make our care safer and better.   As useful as this data is, no single report should be used to judge overall quality of care in New Jersey or the performance of a single facility.  This report is just one piece of an array of available healthcare information, ” stated Robert Coates, M.D., Vice President of Medical Affairs at Hunterdon Medical Center.   Dr. Coates went on to say, “We encourage consumers to learn all they can about patient safety and quality healthcare.  Hospital websites, word of mouth from friends and neighbors and the opinions of a trusted physician or nurse are also valuable resources.” 

RAPID RESPONSE Teams

In the event that a patient’s condition changes, causing concern, a Rapid Response Team will intervene quickly to stabilize the patient and to prevent serious conditions.

Hunterdon Medical Center’s Rapid Response Teams may be called to assess patients for:

• Chest pain
• Change in heart rate
• Change in systolic blood pressure
• Change in respiratory rate
• Closing airway
• Change in mental status
• Seizure
• Failure to respond to treatment

A Rapid Response Team is comprised of a critical care nurse, nursing supervisor, respiratory therapist and the patient’s nurse. The team can be at a patient’s bedside in under a minute, bringing the expertise of a critical care unit to every unit in the hospital. The teams are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Patients, families, nurses or anyone else may call a Rapid Response Team by dialing ‘444” and stating “I need a rapid response to (name your specific location)”

The goal of all Rapid Response Teams in the Hunterdon Healthcare System is to prevent the need for more intensive treatment and refer the patient to a critical care unit if necessary. Our Rapid Response Teams have helped reduce to zero the number of calls for immediate assistance after a patient’s heart or breathing has stopped.

Clinical Quality Improvement

Quality can be defined and measured in many ways. At Hunterdon Medical Center, quality is not just a simple measure. Quality is a comprehensive look at all aspects of a patient's experience.
We measure quality of care in the outcomes achieved such as mortality rates and surgical infections and in our compliance with evidence-based processes known to enhance care.

Through national public initiatives the following agencies have established standards guiding hospitals in the care of their medical and surgical patients:

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
• The Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (TJC)
• The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services

Each one of these agencies displays hospital-specific data for various medical and surgical conditions. The Surgical measures, called the Surgical Care Improvement Project, (SCIP), define a specific set of treatments to prevent infection, adverse cardiac events and deep vein thrombosis in the surgical patient.
The below graph is the latest Hunterdon Medical Center overall scores displaying our adherence and our dedication to providing quality surgical care.

Patient Experience
At Hunterdon Medical Center, hospital care is not just about the clinical aspects of your care but the entire care experience.  For more than 10 years we have been asking patients to rate their experience at the hospital on everything from the skill of their physicians and nurses to the temperature of their food using the Press Ganey Inpatient Satisfaction Survey. 
Hunterdon Medical Center consistently ranks as the Number One top performing hospital in New Jersey for overall patient satisfaction. The staff is noted for treating patients with respect and communicating effectively.

The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS), a government survey of healthcare providers, ranked Hunterdon Medical Center equal to or better than the state and country averages in the areas of communication with nurses and doctors, responsiveness of the staff, pain management, communication about medicine and cleanliness of the environment.