The Pulse of Providence January February 2014 | Page 16

Glossary of Terms
Our Call to Action: Healthcare that Works, Healthcare that is Safe, Healthcare that Leaves No One Behind.

Healthcare That Works calls us to meet the promise of a consistent, exceptional experience in every
encounter with those we serve.

Healthcare that is Safe calls us to actively identify opportunities to improve patient safety.

Healthcare that Leaves No One Behind calls us to serve as advocates for those who are poor
and vulnerable.

High Reliability Organization (HRO): The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality defines high-reliability
organizations as “organizations with systems in place that are exceptionally consistent in accomplishing their
goals and avoiding potentially catastrophic errors.”
Healing without Harm: Consistent with efforts to foster a culture of High Reliability, and always seeking to
avoid Serious Safety Events, Healing without Harm by 2014 set a goal of a 40-percent reduction in serious
safety events System-wide.
Serious Safety Event: A deviation from Generally Accepted Performance Standards that reaches the patient
and causes moderate to severe permanent harm or death.
Hand Hygiene: The process of cleaning your hands to prevent the spread of germs. Wash hands with soap
and water when they are visibly soiled. Otherwise, use hand rub.
Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Centers for Medicaid and
Medicare (CMS) developed standard HCAHPS questions that allow the general public to compare scores of a
hospital’s performance on a local, regional or national basis. www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/compare.html
The HCAHPS survey measures these eight areas and allows us to compare:
• Rating of Hospital 0-10
• Hospital Environment
• Nurse Communication

• Responsiveness of Hospital Staff
• Physician Communication
• Pain Management

• Communication about Medicines
• Discharge Instructions

Clinical Integration: Clinical integration refers to the coordination of care across a continuum of services to
improve the value of care provided.
Value: Value is achieved by looking for ways to reduce the cost of services provided, increase the quality of
services provided and increase the patients’ experience.

The Pulse of Providence is published online bimonthly for associates and friends of Providence Healthcare Network. For comments or corrections,
write or call Providence Marketing and Public Policy, 6901 Medical Parkway, Waco, Texas 76712, [phone].
Jana Whitaker, Executive Editor • Contributing Editors, Jana Whitaker, Jonathan Ford, Erin Rogers, Mandy Sharp and Brenna Middleton
Design/Production, NSight Graphics & Digital Design / Patti Neckar
Opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the authors and are not to be construed as official or as reflecting the views of
Providence Healthcare Network, its staff or attending physicians. Submissions may be edited. © 2014 Providence Healthcare Network

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