We continue to make great progress in quality improvement and patient safety throughout the organization. We are scoring low in areas where we want to score low and high in the areas where higher is better. Those scores directly translate to better patient care.

A hospital-acquired condition, or HAC, is something that happens during the hospital stay that could make the patient sicker. It includes conditions such as a new infection, a fall, a pressure ulcer or a complication. We want HACs to be low for our patients. For 2018, we recorded the lowest number of HACs in the history of our organization. We are also seeing record-low numbers for:

• Bacterial illnesses, such as MRSA and C. diff, that can be passed from patient to patient
• Catheter-associated urinary tract infections
• Central line-associated bloodstream infections
• Complications

We are also experiencing the lowest mortality index ever at UF Health Jacksonville. Our mortality index of 0.62 is on par with the best in the nation. Such great work is being done by everyone in the organization.

On the flip side, we are also seeing some great high numbers. The majority of our patients have follow-up appointments scheduled before they leave the hospital, and most of them are keeping their appointments. Additionally, our UF physicians have put practices in place and are seeing the highest numbers ever experienced for excellent diabetes control, weight control, smoking cessation and patient-centered care.

Healthgrades report

UF Health Jacksonville received two prestigious clinical awards and has been ranked as one of the top hospitals in multiple areas of care in the latest report released by Healthgrades, a national organization that analyzes the performance of hospitals across the country.

Among UF Health Jacksonville’s achievements are two clinical quality awards in cranial neurosurgery and critical care. We are the only hospital in Northeast Florida to receive these distinctions.

The Healthgrades 2019 evaluation of the nation’s hospitals reveals the importance of consumer access to high-quality care and analyzes the performance of nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide, as measured by risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates. This analysis identifies the top-performing hospitals — namely those whose outcomes are statistically significantly better than expected.

We achieved 5-star ratings from Healthgrades in the following categories of patient care:

• Heart failure
• Respiratory failure
• Sepsis
• Esophageal/stomach surgery
• Stroke

Our great work is finally starting to show up in public reports. Congratulations to all.