Our Quality Standards
HOW WE MEASURE OUR QUALITY
When hospitals measure quality, it is generally in reference to very specific clinical data collected and analyzed over a period of time. Quality measurement isn’t always easy. Different agencies and groups have different ways of reporting clinical outcomes that can affect the way they rate a hospital on a certain quality measure. The size of the facility can also make a difference in the way results appear.
Sonoma Valley Hospital is required to meet the same standards of safety and staff credentialing as larger hospitals. By demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety, Sonoma Valley Hospital has earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™.
We are proud to participate in the national quality measures that have been proven to save lives and ensure better quality of care. See our results at Hospital Compare.
As a small community hospital, many of our employees and physicians are also families of the Valley and, as such, our commitment to quality improvement and safe patient care is more than just a job. Each of us came to Sonoma Valley Hospital in order to help and be a part of a special place for healing our friends, our families, our colleagues – our community.
Find out more about our Privacy Practices and the Patient Bill of Rights.
SAFE PATIENT CARE AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
Reporting Patient Safety Concerns?
SVH is accredited by The Joint Commission. The Joint Commission encourages anyone who has concerns about safety or quality of care, to bring those concerns first to the attention of the health care organization’s leaders. Please share your concerns with the staff providing your care, the immediate person in charge or the Department Manager to ensure that your concerns are addressed and resolved.
Contact SVH Quality Assurance | Contact SVH Administration
Public Notice of Hospital Joint Commission Accreditation Process
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations is an independent, not-for-profit, national body that oversees the safety and quality of health care and other services provided in accredited organizations.
Through periodic surveys, the Joint Commission evaluates the organization’s compliance with nationally established Joint Commission standards. The information obtained during the survey process helps organizations improve their services. The information may also assist in educating consumers and other health care recipients to make informed decisions regarding their health care. The survey results will be used to determine the conditions under which accreditation should be awarded the organization.
Joint Commission standards deal with organizational quality of care issues and the safety of the environment in which care is provided.
Anyone believing that he or she has pertinent and valid information about such matters may request a Public Information Interview with the Joint Commission’s surveyor(s). The Public Information Interview will only be conducted if someone contacts the surveyor(s) during an on-site survey and requests the interview and the survey schedule is able to accommodate the interview. Information presented at the interview will be carefully evaluated for relevance to the accreditation process.
Information about accredited organizations may be provided directly to the Joint Commission at 1-800-994-6610.
Information regarding accreditation and the accreditation performance of individual organizations can be obtained through the Joint Commission’s website at: www.jointcommission.org.
Requests for a Public Information Interview must be made in writing and should be sent to The Joint Commission. The requests must also indicate the nature of the information to be presented at the interview. Such requests should be addressed to:
Division of Accreditation Operations ?Office of Quality Monitoring
The Joint Commission
?One Renaissance Boulevard
?Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
?Anyone wishing to contact The Joint Commission regarding quality concerns may do so online at http://www.jointcommission.org/ or by calling toll-free 1-800-994.6610. You may also Fax your request to 630-792-5636
The Joint Commission will acknowledge such request in writing or by telephone and will inform the organization of the request for an interview. The organization will, in turn, notify the Interview Requestor of the date, time, and place of the meeting. This notice is posted in accordance with The Joint Commission’s requirements and may not be removed before the survey is completed.
Our Privacy Practices and Patients’ Bill of Rights
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, was passed in an effort to provide protection and standardization of protected health information (PHI). Sonoma Valley Hospital has instituted new policies and procedures to support the HIPAA Privacy Regulations (effective April 14, 2003) and protect the confidentiality of your health information. This provision gives you more control over the use of your personal health information and reaffirms your rights to see, copy, and amend your health information, and to learn of any disclosures. HIPAA also creates safeguards to guarantee that only those people who have a real need will access your protected health information.
Sonoma Valley Hospital realizes the importance of protecting your medical information and upholding your privacy rights. We have explained in our Notice of Health Information Privacy Practices how we will use and share health information about you. The notice also informs you of your rights with respect to your health information. Changes in regulations may require us to update our Notice of Health Information Privacy Practices.
Changes in regulations may require us to update our Notice of Health Information Privacy Practices. We reserve the right to change this Notice.