Quality

Spectrum Health Talks Quality on the Web

Spectrum Health has taken another step in helping community members make informed health care decisions.

A new blog, expanded quality information and comparison charts can now be found on the system’s recently revamped Web site: www.spectrum-health.org/quality.

“We want our patients to be informed consumers. They deserve the best in health care for themselves and their loved ones so they need to know where top quality care is offered,” said John Byrnes, MD, senior vice president, system quality.

Byrnes is the author of a new blog – “Straight Talk on Health Care Quality” – that launched last month on the site. His first topic is a series on debunking myths about hospital quality.

“I’m directing readers to the most credible sources of information they can use to find the best hospitals in their community,” he explained. “Myth number one is that all hospitals give excellent care. The series will explain why and how hospitals are measured for quality and why that information is so important to know. While we are presenting information on our own Web site, consumers can also rely on third party resources to verify clinical quality results.”

The Spectrum Health Quality pages includes charts from Hospital Compare, a quality tool provided by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare that offers information on how well hospitals care for patients with certain medical conditions or surgical procedures. The site also provides links to several information sources.

“Good health outcomes and patient safety measures should be transparent to patients so we can work in partnership with them for continuous improvement,” said Byrnes.

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system in West Michigan that offers a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, a collection of seven hospitals and more than 140 service sites; the Spectrum Health Medical Group, mmpc® and West Michigan Heart-physician groups totaling more than 400 providers; and Priority Health, a health plan with nearly 580,000 members. Spectrum Health’s 16,000 employees, 1,500 medical staff members and 2,000 volunteers are committed to delivering the highest quality care. The organization provided $79.4 million in community benefit during its 2009 fiscal year. As a system, Spectrum Health has earned more than 100 awards since it was formed in 1997.