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My HealtheVet (MHV)
the gateway to veteran
health benefits
and services.
Patient Education
Awareness Series
Our Commitment
To Quality
Medication
Reconciliation
JCAHO Public
Notice Regarding
Safety & Quality
of Care
Patient Education Resource
Welcome to the North Chicago VA Medical Center Patient
Education Resource.
The Patient Education Advisory Subcommittee is responsible for
the coordination of patient education activities and learning
resources. Our members are from different clinical
backgrounds.
Our mission is to provide responsible, understandable,
interdisciplinary educational resources and guidance to meet the needs of
patients/families/significant others.
Our Commitment To Quality
What we do to assure quality care.
Internal Quality Checks
While you’re in the hospital, doctors, nurses, nursing staff, pharmacist, dieticians, and other
members of the health care team check and recheck the care you
receive. Nurse Managers review the staffing levels on the unit to
meet your needs.
When you seek outpatient care we want you to receive the best care through our VA primary care
physicians and outpatient clinics.
Talking About Quality
At North Chicago VA Medical Center, we are proud of the many processes we have in place to make certain
you receive:
- the quality care you need
- the health care you can count on
- the best standard of care
What Do We Mean By "Quality"?
Quality health care means doing the right thing, at the right time,
in the right way, for the right person and having the best possible
results.
Quality Matters. It can be measured, and it can be improved. Throughout the Medical
Center, a number of activities are in place to help you stay healthy and get
you better if you are ill. The care we
provide is always evaluated against national, state, and other
Veterans Hospitals.
Always monitoring the quality of care and working to improve the
quality of care.
Improving quality throughout North Chicago VA begins long before
you arrive and continues after you’ve gone home. The care we
provide is always evaluated against state and national standards and
our own internal standards. And, we regularly survey our patients
to get important feedback about our services and how we can better
address our patient’s needs.
There are two main types of quality measures we use at North Chicago
VA: Patient Satisfaction and Clinical Performance Measures.
Both types are based on outcomes research. Outcomes research
measures the end results of health care practices and treatments.
For example, after treatment is the pain gone? Can the patient
carry out his or her daily activities? Is he/she satisfied with his
or her care?
1. Patient Satisfaction information looks at health care from your point of view. For
example, Did you get as much information about your condition and/or
treatment as you wanted from the provider? Did someone explain the
purpose of the medicines you take in a way you could understand?
When you had important questions to ask a nurse did you get answers
you could understand?
2. Clinical Performance
Measures look at the way health care
is delivered and the outcomes that the patient experiences. At
North Chicago VA, we look at many clinical performance measures.
For example, Care for People with Heart Attacks, Care for People
with Heart Failure, and Care for People with Pneumonia. These
measures and other clinical performance measures are publicly
reported and posted on Quality CheckŪ, an internet-based consumer
health information service sponsored by the Joint Commission on
Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) at
http://www.jcaho.org/quality+check/
Partners in Quality: Taking an Active Role in Your Health Care
1. Ask questions if you have doubts or concerns.
Ask questions and
make sure you understand the answers. Choose a doctor you feel
comfortable talking to.
2. Keep and bring a list of ALL the medicines you take. Give your doctor and
pharmacist a list of all the medicines that you take, including
non-prescription medicines. Tell them about any drug allergies you
have. Ask about side effects and what to avoid while taking the
medicine. Make sure your medicine is what the doctor ordered and
know how to use it.
3. Get the results of any test or procedure. Ask when and how you will
get the results of tests or procedures.
4. Be sure you understand the instructions you get about follow-up care when you leave the hospital.
Educate your self about your diagnosis, medical tests you are undergoing, and your treatment plan.
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