Quality of Care

Our Philosophy on Quality
Providing the highest quality and safest health care for the residents of the Tuolumne and Calaveras counties is a paramount goal of Sonora Regional Medical Center and Adventist Health. Corporately and locally, we’ve invested extensive resources in process improvement, information technology and scientific analysis to create an environment of safety and healing.

Throughout our day-to-day operations, we continually measure and benchmark ourselves with other similar health care organizations. As the only medical center in Tuolumne County, we are committed to be open with our quality and improvement initiatives to the residents we serve. Benchmarking and providing our quality information to the public help us achieve the highest quality of care possible.

In the quality sections, you will find the following information:

• The four major quality campaigns Sonora Regional Medical Center and Adventist Health are participating in are listed below
   
• Accreditation status with the Joint Commission and Health Facilities Accreditation Program
   
• How we compare in our quality scores
   
• Awards we have earned because of our quality
   

Systemwide Quality Initiatives and Campaigns
Culture of Safety
Sonora Regional Medical Center has teamed up with Bryan Sexton, Ph.D., from Duke University Health System on a groundbreaking quality initiative. Launched in January 2008, the hospital is currently working with Dr. Sexton on a Culture of Teamwork and Safety Improvement Process. The project uses a survey instrument filled out by frontline staff to identify specific areas of concern. Dr. Sexton then reviews the survey results and provides insights and recommendations for how to address improvement. As a result, Sonora Regional Medical Center has appointed unit based safety champions who work their assigned hospital executive to address safety concerns raised by unit staff, set priorities for safety initiatives and identify resources needed to improve patient safety.

Emergency Department Collaborative
As a member of Adventist Health, Sonora Regional Medical Center is currently participating in a yearlong Emergency Department Collaborative. The goal of the systemwide project is to have superior Emergency Departments with exceptional results in patient throughput, quality and service. More specifically, the collaborative focuses on patient flow (wait times, door to admit times, processes, etc.), patient satisfaction and the quality of patient care as it relates to the system’s already standardized Core Measures (e.g. AMI, pneumonia and other clinical indicators). As a result, Sonora Regional Medical Center has developed a team to review the processes in our Emergency Department and identify opportunities for improvement.

Pressure Ulcer Campaign
As part of Adventist Health, Sonora Regional Medical Center is involved in a system-wide collaborative to reduce pressure ulcers. According to the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality, the incidence of pressure ulcers among hospital patients increased steadily between 1993 and 2006. The goal of Adventist Health’s Pressure Ulcer Campaign is to facilitate an interdisciplinary approach to maintaining skin integrity and managing skin breakdown, and improve clinical outcomes in this area. To date, the system has significant progress toward identifying best practices to reduce hospital-acquired pressure ulcers. Specifically, Sonora Regional Medical Center utilizes the IHI Pressure Ulcer Prevention Bundle “How to Guide” as an evidence-based practice and systems approach for the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers and other skin/wound issues. The staff is educated at bedside on an ongoing basis to maintain the highest level of care and accountability. New hires are given an 8-hour training day with the wound care coordinator. The day is designed to teach the staff member pressure ulcer prevention, assessment and care. A three member wound team has been formed to disseminate information, monitor patients at risk and to guide the care of patients that are at risk of, or have, actual pressure ulcers. Annually, the staff is also provided with on-line education.

Hand Hygiene Campaign
What if 15 seconds could save a life? Adventist Health’s Hand Hygiene Campaign aims to increase awareness among staff, physicians, visitors and patients regarding the significance of hand washing and the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers. With the goal of expressing the importance of good hand hygiene as a prevention for the spread of disease, Sonora Regional Medical Center displays campaign posters throughout the hospital and laminated cards at hand washing sinks to remind clinicians and others interacting with patients to frequently clean their hands. Sonora Regional Medical Center continually monitors hand hygiene practices and as a result has improved appropriate hand washing rates from over 80% in 2007 to over 95% in 2010. Our goal is 100%!