Quality Reports

Quality Reports

Cooley Dickinson Hospital is committed to providing patients with care that is safe and of the highest quality. We strive every day to provide the best possible care to every patient receiving services at any of our sites.

Measuring our performance against a set of measures where experts agree on the best treatment for a certain condition helps us evaluate and improve the way we deliver care. It is the goal at Cooley Dickinson Hospital to score 100% on all of these measures.

You may access a complete set of our performance data in four areas: heart attack care, pneumonia care, congestive heart failure care and preventing surgical infections.

Heart Attack Care

A heart attack (also called AMI or acute myocardial infarction) happens when arteries leading to the heart become blocked and the blood supply is slowed or stopped. When the heart muscle can't get the oxygen and nutrients it needs, the part of the heart tissue that is affected may die. These quality measures show some of the standards of care provided, if appropriate, to someone who has a heart attack (higher % is better).

The symptoms of a heart attack can include:

  • chest pain (often described as a crushing, squeezing or burning pain in the center of the chest and may radiate to your arm or jaw)
  • shortness of breath
  • dizziness or faintness
  • sweating
  • nausea
  • cold or clammy skin
  • a gray or very ill appearance.

Sometimes there may be no symptoms, especially if you have diabetes. Women sometimes have different symptoms, such as a different kind of chest pain and/or abdominal pain.

More information about heart health is on the:

Heart Failure Care

Heart failure is a weakening of the heart's pumping power. With heart failure your body doesn't get enough oxygen and nutrients to meet its needs. Your heart tries to pump more blood, but the muscle walls become weaker over time. These quality measures show some of the standards of care provided, if appropriate, to someone who has heart failure (higher % is better).

Symptoms of heart failure may include:

  • shortness of breath from fluid in the lungs
  • swelling (such as in legs, ankles or abdomen)
  • dizziness
  • fatigue
  • weakness
  • cold or clammy skin
  • a rapid or irregular heartbeat.

Heart failure can be a result of heart condition due to

  • hardening of the arteries, also known as coronary artery disease
  • a heart attack
  • cardiomyopathy (heart muscle damage from infection or alcohol or drug abuse), or
  • an overworked heart (caused over time by conditions like high blood pressure, kidney disease, diabetes, or a defect from birth)

For more information about heart health, check the American Heart Association's website or Medline Plus for health information from the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

Pneumonia Care

Pneumonia is caused by a viral or bacterial infection that fills your lungs with mucous. This lowers the oxygen level in your blood. These quality measures show some of the recommended treatments for pneumonia (higher % is better).

Symptoms of pneumonia can include the following:

  • Difficulty breathing
  • “Wet” cough. Your mucus may look green or bloody.
  • Chest pain
  • Fever and chills
  • Fatigue

For more information about lung health, check the American Lung Association's website or Medline Plus for health information from the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

You should also be aware that flu shots reduce the risk of influenza, a serious and sometimes deadly lung infection that can spread quickly in a community. Hospitals should check to make sure that pneumonia patients get a flu shot during flu season to protect them from another lung infection and to help prevent the spread of influenza in the community.

Surgical Infection Prevention

Hospitals can reduce the risk of wound infection after surgery by making sure patients get the right medicines at the right time on the day of their surgery. These quality measures show some of the standards of care provided, if appropriate, for someone having surgery (higher % is better).

Hospitals can reduce the risk of wound infection after surgery by providing the right medicines at the right time on the day of surgery. There are also steps that you, as a patient, can take to make sure the surgery is as safe as possible. You should give your doctor or nurse a list of all your medications, including vitamins, herbal medicines, and over-the-counter medications. You should also tell your doctor or nurse about any allergies and bad reactions to anesthesia.

Sometimes patients get an infection after surgery, even if the hospital took steps to prevent it. Here are signs to watch for:

  • The surgical wound is red, hot, and swollen.
  • You have a fever of over 100 degrees after you go home.
  • A smelly or yellow/green fluid is coming out of the wound.
  • Your pain is increasing even though you are taking pain medication.
  • Call your doctor or local hospital immediately if you have any of these signs.

Disclaimer:

Information on the Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s website:

  • Is not intended as a substitute for medical advice
  • Does not establish a doctor-patient relationship
  • Is not intended or assumed to be a guarantee of a specific result

Our goal is to provide meaningful information so that you may make informed decisions about your healthcare. Please remember that medical information provided by Cooley Dickinson Hospital, in the absence of a visit with a health care professional, must be considered as an educational and informational service only.