Were do the facts come from?

Medication Safety: Hospitals fill in surveys and send to MHMC.   Medication Spotlight ribbons and pies are from data that hospitals reported on their 2009 Survey.

National Survey: The Leapfrog Group provides MHMC with the facts.  Leapfrog ribbons are from data that hospitals reported between June, 2008 and March, 2009.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The national Leapfrog Survey results were not available in time for the August 1, 2010  update.  The patient safety category will be updated with both updated Medication Spotlight survey results and Leapfrog results  as soon as possible following the release of Leapfrog 2010 data.

How Often Are the Facts Updated?

Medication Safety: Annually. Hospitals have the option to update one time during year.

National Survey: Annually. Hospitals have the option of providing updates every month.

How Does MHMC Turn the Facts Into Ratings?

Blue Ribbon for Medication Safety:

Hospitals receive a blue ribbon when they have a score equal or greater than 2.5. This score is calculated by averaging the combined points received in the Medication Safety  and National Survey  measurement areas.

• Prevent Medication Errors
• Appropriate ICU Staffing
• Steps to Avoid Harm
• High Risk Treatment

Bars for the four Leapfrog survey “leaps” rolled into an aggregate MHMC pie as follows:

• 4 bars = 4 points
• 3 bars = 3 points
• 2 bars = 2 points
• 1 bar  = 1 point
• N/A = not included in numerator or denominator

Pies are calculated by totaling the points of the four leaps and dividing that number by the total number of leaps required to be completed or applicable for a hospital’s aggregate Leapfrog score. We include data that hospitals have optionally submitted only if it positively impacts the overall pie score.  Pies are assigned by the aggregate Leapfrog score as follows:

• Full Pie = equal to or greater than 3.5 points
• 3/4 Pie = equal to or greater than 2.5, less than 3.5
• 1/2 Pie = equal to or greater than 1.5 to less than 2.5
• 1/4 Pie = less than 1.5
• Did not participate = Notation made of non-participation

About the Medication Spotlight Survey

The Medication Spotlight Survey was developed by a workgroup of dedicated pharmacists and nurses from the Maine Health Management Coalition’s member hospitals. In 2008, at the recommendation of the workgroup, the survey was expanded to include a section on Professional Pharmacy Services. 2009 marked the eighth year that Maine hospitals have been invited to participate in this survey to measure and report on systems that are being used to greatly reduce the incidence of preventable medical errors.

About the 5 Elements Related To Safe Use Of Medicines

How prescriptions are double-checked What systems are in place to help doctors, nurses, and pharmacists double-check medicines before they’re given to patients? A good system helps ensure that patients get the right medicines in the right doses. It also checks to see if medicines can be used together without side effects. Many hospitals use computer systems that alert providers to possible problems before they happen.

How medicines are given What kind of record keeping system is in place to help nurses know what medicines each patient should get and when they should get it? Some hospitals use computer systems that give nurses complete and up-to-the-minute information at the press of a button. This helps the nurse to prevent errors.

How medicine is stored How is medicine stored on nursing units? When medicines stored in a cabinet look alike and have similar names, it’s easy for a nurse to reach for the wrong one. Many hospitals now use medicine cabinets that are connected to a computer. When a nurse needs a medicine, the computer opens just the cabinet compartment with the right medicine. Often, the door to the compartment will open only after a pharmacist has double-checked the prescription. These systems help keep both the nurse and the pharmacist from making mistakes.

Bedside Medication Verification (BMV) allows caregivers to utilize bar code scanning technology prior to administering medications, to confirm patient identity and medication information against data readily available via the Medication Administration Record. Immediate access to a patient’s current results and medication administration information greatly reduces preventable medication errors. The use of bar code scanning increases accuracy and efficiency of caregivers completing medication administration records, providing physicians faster and easier access to critical information to manage patient care.

Professional Pharmacy Services This section focuses on systems that hospitals have in place for identifying and following patients with poor renal function as patients with poor renal function may require medication dosage adjustments and or alternative therapy. Future Medication Spotlight surveys may be expanded to include a look at systems in place for other important clinical patient-oriented services, in addition to renal function.

MHMC used a variety of data resources to measure patient satisfaction, safety, and clinical quality. If you would like to review these data sources yourself, please click on the links below:

• Hospital Patient Safety – Medication Safety
• Hospital Patient Safety – National Survey: Leapfrog Group