Surgical safety is a top priority for both patients and their surgeons. Surgeons have options when partnering with facilities to offer services, from large general hospitals to smaller specialty hospitals. North Carolina Specialty Hospital (NCSH) rises to the top in the Triangle Region, offering surgeons a facility that puts safety first.
The Importance of Patient Safety in the Surgical Environment
Safety should be a top priority in any medical care setting. With surgery, the risks of treatment are often higher, requiring the utmost emphasis on safety. Surgical safety can be addressed in several ways, including preoperative screening, patient involvement, cleanliness, communication, staff training, safety checklists, and more. All hospitals are capable of providing safe procedures, but specialty hospitals are uniquely positioned to optimize safety.
What Makes NCSH Different?
NCSH is a specialty hospital. Opened in 1926, NCSH is physician-owned and offers facilities for both inpatient and outpatient procedures. Surgeons who partner with NCSH specialize in:
- Orthopedics
- Sports medicine
- Joint replacement
- Ear, nose, and throat
- Ophthalmology
- Oral surgery
- Plastic surgery
- General surgery
- Podiatry
- Reconstructive surgery
- Pain management
The mission of NCSH is to offer the highest quality of surgical care possible while also maintaining cost-effectiveness. The facility opened in order to provide another choice to patients in the region – a center that gathers experts in surgical procedures.
Because of this specific focus, NCSH can provide patients with cutting-edge treatments and technologies that are safer and result in better outcomes. For example, our joint replacement specialists have access to a robotic MAKOplasty device, which allows surgeons to perform procedures less invasively, more precisely, and more safely.
Specialty hospitals like NCSH can offer so many experts in one place. This means they can provide a better experience with exceptional care.
Studies prove that when compared to general hospitals, specialty facilities provide some of the best care for patients.
NCSH Awards Point to Quality and Safety
North Carolina Specialty Hospital has been recognized by numerous peers, organizations, and patients. These honors and awards testify to its superior patient experience, quality of services, and the priority it places on patient and surgical safety:
- BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina Blue Distinction Center+ for Knee and Hip Replacement
- BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina Blue Distinction Center+ for Spine Surgery
- The Joint Commission National Quality Approval
- Certified Disease Specific Certification in Total Hips and Knees – The Joint Commission
- U.S. News and World Report High Performing Hospitals for Hip and Knee Replacement, 2017 and 2018
- Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award, 2020
- Modern Healthcare’s Highest Quality Patient Care Award, 2015
- Carechex.com Top 10% Hospital in Nation Award for Patient Safety in Major Orthopedic Surgery, 2015
- Triangle Business Journal Top Hospital of 2015
- CMS 5-Star Rating for Patient Experience, 2020
5-Star Rating from CMS
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently gave North Carolina Specialty Hospital a five-star rating. The Medicare Hospital Star Rating System uses 62 separate quality measures in five categories to evaluate hospitals.
Of the nearly 5,000 hospitals reviewed by CMS, only two percent (including NCSH) received a five-star rating. The rating describes the overall quality of care, which includes several measures related to patient safety:
- Central line infections
- Catheter urinary tract infections
- MRSA events
- C. diff events
- Hip or knee joint replacement complications
- Any serious complications
- Readmission rates
- Staff explanation of medications
- Quality of doctor communication
- Patient-reported cleanliness
- Patient-reported staff responsiveness
- Mortality rates for specific types of patients
Patient Perception of Safety
Actual patient safety is essential, but so is patient perception. NCSH’s five-star rating is a crucial measurement that proves to patients that we are among their safest options for care.
Safety for surgical patients is a top priority at NCSH. We partner with the best surgeons in the area – those who excel in their fields and place as much emphasis on safety as we do. Get in touch with North Carolina Specialty Hospital to learn more about what we do and the specifics of our safety procedures and processes.