How was your stay?

Chances are, you've talked with friends and family about the quality of care they've received from the hospitals they've used. And those discussions may have helped with your health care decisions.

But that information most likely came from a handful of people at most. There's never been a compilation of patients' opinions about hospitals.

That's about to change, however, with an important survey known by its initials, HCAHPS. This survey asks hospital patients nationwide about their experiences, and the findings are made public.

"Getting that important feedback from the patients we serve will really help us build a stronger health care system," says Nancy Foster, vice president for quality and patient safety policy at the American Hospital Association (AHA).

In addition, survey results will help people make intelligent decisions about which hospitals they want to use.

"It's essentially like leaning over your backyard fence and asking 100,000 of your neighbors, How did you feel about the hospital? How well did they do?" adds Foster.

If you're hospitalized, you may be asked to participate in HCAHPS. The following questions and answers will help you understand it.

Q: What does HCAHPS stand for?

A: HCAHPS stands for Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems."

Q: What agencies or organizations created HCAHPS?

A: The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, both agencies of the federal government, jointly developed HCAHPS. Other organizations collaborated on the project. Among them: the AHA, the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, the Joint Commission and AARP.

Q: What are the goals of HCAHPS?

A: There are essentially two goals, says Foster: (1) To assist hospitals in their ongoing efforts to improve quality by helping them identify what they're doing well and where they can improve, and (2) To inform people about the type of care they might receive at a particular hospital.

Q: Are hospitals required to administer the HCAHPS survey?

A: Participation is voluntary. However, hospitals that receive payment through Medicare will have their payments reduced by about 2 percent if they don't participate.

Q: How are the surveys conducted?

A: Surveys may be conducted by mail, telephone, mail with telephone follow-up or interactive voice recognition.

Q: What types of questions are included in the survey?

A: The survey consists of 27 questions, 18 of which ask about your specific experiences in the hospital. Areas covered include:

* Communication with and care received from nurses.

* Communication with doctors.

* Hospital cleanliness and quietness.

* Pain control.

* Communication about medicines.

* Discharge information.

* Overall hospital rating.

Q: Who is surveyed?

A: The surveys target patients 18 or older who are discharged from the hospital after at least a one-night stay. Surveys are intended to be completed by patients themselves--not family members.

To avoid bias in the results, patients are randomly selected to get the survey. Occasionally, this may result in unfortunate situations, such as a survey being sent to a patient who died a short time after discharge.

Q: When and where will results appear?

A: Results will be posted on the Internet and available to anyone at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov, beginning in the spring of 2008. According to Foster, results will be updated quarterly.

The New North County Health Center

In an on-going effort to provide quality, convenient healthcare to our growing community, Connally Memorial Medical Center has committed to the building of the North County Health Center.

This 5000 sq. foot facility will consist of a 2500 sq. foot family practice clinic, and will be built just south of junction Hwy 181 and FM 775. The remaining 2500 sq. feet of the building will be used for later expansion to accommodate potential leasing space for other businesses.

With the purchase of this land in 2000, the hope and vision has been to provide the residence of this growing area of our county with a more convenient healthcare clinic, and today that hope and vision is becoming a reality.

The projected completion date of this new facility is slated for mid to late September.

Men's Matters

Connally Memorial Medical Center proudly announces Men's Matters, the newest addition to our on-going wellness initiative.

We are glad to be able to provide the men of our community with the knowledge and tools that they might need to prevent or prepare for many of the unwanted health issues that currently plague us in this day and age. These efforts are accomplished through a series of bi-monthly "lunch and learn" seminars, featuring a different health topic each time.

For more information, please call 830-393-1311