Our Quality
The Joint Commission, CMS and the Core Measures
Johnston Health voluntarily participates in quality and performance surveys to measure our adherence to standards set by The Joint Commission and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The data from these surveys is used to compare our quality of care with other hospitals throughout North Carolina and the nation.
The Core Measures are derived from a set of quality indicators defined by the CMS. These indicators have been shown to reduce the risk of complications and prevent recurrences in the majority of patients who come to a hospital for treatment of a condition or illness. Core Measures help hospitals improve the quality of patient care by focusing on the actual results of care.
Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems (HCAHPS)
The HCAHPS initiative is a standardized survey instrument for measuring patients' perspectives on hospital care. While many hospitals have collected information on patient satisfaction, prior to HCAHPS there was no national standard for collecting or publicly reporting patients' perspectives of care that would enable "apples to apples" comparisons to support consumer choice. HCAHPS is a core set of questions that can be combined with a broader, customized set of hospital-specific items. HCAHPS survey items complement the data hospitals currently collect to support improvements in internal customer services and quality related activities.
Click here to compare Johnston Health with other area hospitals.
How long can I expect to be in the ED?
When you check into the Emergency Department (ED), a nurse will grade your condition by severity -- this is called triage. Patients with life-threatening conditions are seen first and those with breathing problems, heart attacks, stroke symptoms and other high risk complaints are evaluated by our doctors without delay.
Once in the treatment area, your total stay will depend on your symptoms, illness and whether a doctor decides you need to be admitted to the hospital. Your stay may be longer if many tests are ordered or you need to be checked a certain period of time after medication has been given.
It is important to remember that the very best care takes time and patience.
People wait in the Emergency Department for many reasons.
Some of these include:
- The sickest patients are seen first
- Overcrowding due to epidemic such as flu, or critical patients arriving by ambulance
- Unlike a doctor's office where appointments are scheduled, many patients may arrive at once
- Waiting for X-rays and blood test results; some tests take longer than others
- Waiting for consultations from specialists
