Orthopaedic surgery report provides transparency on patient safety, quality initiatives

At NYU Langone Medical Center the focus on quality, patient safety and patient experience are not just broad stroke initiatives – but measureable, quantifiable and concrete. Patients and health care professionals can learn about this commitment to world-class care and operational transparency in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery's recently published "2012 Quality and Outcomes Report," which is now available online as well as in hard copy at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) meeting taking place this week in San Francisco.

"Our commitment to outcomes-driven, quality care has been core to our department since its inception in 1905 – a mission requiring continuous innovation, measurement, introspection and a willingness to adapt," said Joseph Bosco, MD, associate professor and vice chair for clinical affairs, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center and director of the outcomes program. "This focus links our whole institution and, by making our Department's results public, we hope to show the impact safety and quality initiatives have on outcomes, clinical and technological innovation and the ability to control health care costs."

This is the Department's second annual analysis of quality and patient satisfaction data for orthopaedic procedures at the hospital, and represents collaborative efforts across the entire medical center to identify, evaluate and enhance the quality of care provided at one of the nation's premiere academic medical centers. The outcomes data is measured against benchmarks established by internal medical center quality teams and the University Health System Consortium (UHC), an alliance of 115 academic medical centers and their affiliated hospitals. Areas of focus include the prevention of venous thromboembolisms (VTE), prophylactic control of MRSA prior to surgery, shortening patient length of stays and decreasing overall readmission rates, among others.

"Hospital performance measures are a greater part of the public domain, so there is an increasing expectation of accountability and transparency – both of which drive us even further to ensure that quality and patient safety are embedded in every facet of our work," said Joseph D. Zuckerman, MD, the Walter A. L. Thompson Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center. "This report documents the extensive work we have done, led by Dr. Bosco, and establishes a benchmark for others."

The "2011 Quality and Outcomes Report" is available at http://orthosurgery.med.nyu.edu/about-us/publications.