December 16th 2015
Grand River Hospital has placed fourth in a comparison of patient survival rates in Canadian hospitals, ranking GRH among the safest hospitals nationally.
The results are in the Canadian Institute for Health Information’s latest report on the hospital standardized mortality ratio (HSMR) which measures actual deaths to predicted deaths in hospitals across the country.
“For many years, GRH has seen continuous improvement that has helped make our hospital among the safest in the country,” said Malcolm Maxwell, GRH’s president and CEO. “Patients can count on the exceptional care that both Grand River and St. Mary’s hospitals provide. We are unique in having two hospitals in one community sharing top ten national rankings in this study.”
The Canadian Institute of Health Information studies 86 Canadian hospitals by comparing actual deaths at the hospital to a predicted number of deaths based upon the health characteristics of patients treated.
The ratio of actual deaths to expected deaths is an internationally-recognized measure of hospital quality and safety. A lower ratio means a better performance of that hospital to others in the comparison group. The score of 100 is the average, set on the baseline year of 2012-2013.
GRH’s performance of 72 for the 2014-2015 fiscal year is a further 10 point improvement from its showing in the 2013-2014 fiscal year. GRH’s peer large community hospitals in Ontario posted HSMR results in 2014-2015 ranging from 114 at the worst to 72 at the best.
Changes that have contributed to GRH’s HSMR performance include:
- Improvements in treatment and admission times for the most seriously ill patients in the emergency department;
- Improved communication between health care providers and patients/families when care is transitioned from one care provider to the next;
- Improved length of stay for hospitalized patients;
- Lower rates of hospital-acquired infections;
- Better medication reconciliation when patients arrive at the hospital, reducing the possibility of medication errors from new prescriptions; and
- New technology improving medication safety as part of a multi-year, multi-million dollar investment.
About Grand River Hospital
Grand River Hospital (GRH) is one of Ontario’s largest community hospitals and provides innovative, quality care to more than 700,000 residents of Waterloo Region and Guelph Wellington.
GRH is a leading healthcare organization, offering cancer and renal (kidney) services; care for the most seriously ill and injured adults; services for mothers, newborns and children; emergency care; mental health and addictions; and care for older adults including rehabilitation.
The Hospital is privileged to be a key partner in health sciences learning and has a rapidly growing role in academic and applied research.
GRH patients benefit from the services of 3,400 staff members; 600 medical staff, midwives and dentists; and 1,000 volunteers at the Kitchener-Waterloo and Freeport campuses as well as satellite locations in Waterloo Region and Guelph-Wellington.
For more information, please contact:
Mark Karjaluoto, Director of Communications
Office: (519) 749-4300 extension 2788, pager: (519) 244-3088
mark.karjaluoto@grhosp.on.ca