News & Events

AHA’s 2010 Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development Conference, Chicago, IL, Sept. 12th-15th

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 07:11:38 -0700

AHA’s 2010 Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development Conference, Chicago, IL, Sept. 12th-15th

Session Title: High-Impact Branding: Tools for Evaluating and Promoting
Medical Quality

Session Number: T23

Lead Speaker: Shane P. Wolverton, Principal, The Delta Group, Inc.

Additional Speaker: Victoria Ashworth, Director of Marketing & Public Relations,
Good Shepherd Medical Center (TX)

Session Date: Thursday, September 14

Session Time: 3:30 – 4:45 p.m.

Session Description:

The healthcare industry is witnessing an unparalleled disclosure of hospital-specific quality information to the public. Learn how to evaluate and promote your hospital’s medical quality using scorecards, independent quality ratings, and national/state quality awards. Engage in an in-depth review of your hospital’s promotional opportunities using publically available data on process of care, outcomes, and patient satisfaction. Discover how proactive hospitals are implementing high-impact, quality-oriented branding campaigns via the Internet, television, billboards, and print media.

2010 IMPROVE Workshop to be held October 18th-19th

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:34:52 -0800

2010 IMPROVE Workshop to be held October 18th-19th

The Delta Group's 2010 IMPROVE^TM Workshop to be held at the Hyatt-Regency Hotel adjacent to The Delta Group's corporate office in Greenville, SC.

Click Here for more Information

Englewood Hospital Recognized for Excellence in Cardiac Care

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:48:24 -0800

Englewood Hospital Recognized for Excellence in Cardiac Care

Englewood, NJ (December 2, 2009) - Englewood Hospital and Medical Center has been recognized as a top cardiac care hospital, ranked #2 in the state of New Jersey, by CareChex®, a division of The Delta Group, a leading healthcare information services and consulting company. The Delta Group recognized Englewood Hospital in its CareChex 2009 release of America's Top Quality Hospitals.

Englewood Hospital was awarded the highest quality rating in the cardiac care clinical category. This includes recognition for medical excellence in treating medical conditions such as heart attack, heart failure, chest pain, and atherosclerosis and non-major surgeries such as angioplasty, stents, and pacemaker implants performed in the inpatient setting.

Dr. Thane Forthman, managing principal at The Delta Group commented, "Englewood's clinical quality in cardiac care is among the top 10% in the state of New Jersey. To achieve this status, Englewood had to meet rigorous clinical standards across measures of mortality, complications, inpatient quality, patient safety, and process of care. We are pleased to recognize Englewood's exceptional quality performance."

"We are honored to continue to receive recognition from independent ratings companies like CareChex for providing our patients the highest level of quality care," said Douglas Duchak, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center president and chief executive officer. "Our caregivers are dedicated to providing this level of care to every patient."

"Our cardiac patients receive extraordinary treatment from a team of exceptional cardiology experts," said Richard Goldweit, MD, FACC, Chief of Cardiology and Director of Interventional Cardiology for Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. "Our cardiac program is consistently ranked among the state's and country's best because the team is so dedicated to top-notch patient care and outcomes."

The CareChex® award is one of many cardiac excellence achievements and recognitions earned by the hospital. Englewood Hospital was recognized among the top three hospitals in the U.S. for the lowest heart attack mortality rate, according to statistics from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released in 2009. The data showed that heart attack patients with Medicare coverage who received treatment at Englewood Hospital had a better chance of surviving over a 30-day period than those treated at any other hospital in New Jersey. According to the data, Englewood Hospital's 30-day mortality rate for heart attack patients was 12.4 percent-significantly better than the national average of 16.1 percent cited by the CMS study. Additionally, the Medical Center has been the only hospital in New Jersey year after year with a 0.00% mortality rate for coronary bypass surgery as defined by the Department of Health and Senior Services Cardiac Surgery in NJ report. These results have been accomplished with one of the lowest average lengths of stay in the state, another measure of the quality outcomes achieved by the hospital.

About Englewood Hospital and Medical Center

Englewood Hospital and Medical Center provides patients with the highest level of compassionate care through a broad range of state-of-the-art clinical programs and the most advanced treatments and diagnostic services. It is renowned for its bloodless medicine and surgery program, cardiac and vascular programs and its leadership in breast care, oncology and joint replacement services. Through its affiliation with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Mount Sinai Consortium for Graduate Medical Education, this thriving, acute-care and community teaching hospital trains medical residents in a variety of disciplines, including surgery, pediatrics, podiatry, pathology and critical care medicine. Englewood Hospital is home to a Vascular Fellowship Program that has trained a generation of world-class vascular surgeons. Additionally, many members of the medical staff at Englewood Hospital serve as faculty members at Mount Sinai. Englewood Hospital has earned numerous accreditations from the Joint Commission and other organizations and is among the four percent of hospitals nationwide honored with the prestigious Magnet nursing award, a distinction that has been earned twice by its nursing staff. To learn more, visit http://www.englewoodhospital.com.

About CareChex® and The Delta Group

CareChex® is a hospital quality rating service of The Delta Group - a national healthcare information services company that provides clinical, financial, and patient satisfaction findings to consumers, providers, and purchasers of U.S. medical care. Unlike other publicly available hospital quality ratings, CareChex provides a comprehensive evaluation of all components of medical quality including process of care, outcomes of care, and patient satisfaction. For more information, go online to www.carechex.com.

Good Shepherd Ranked Nationally for Clinical Excellence

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:47:02 -0800

Good Shepherd Ranked Nationally for Clinical Excellence

Longview, TX (November 11, 2009) - Good Shepherd officials announced today their notification of receiving quality award rankings from CareChex®, a division of The Delta Group. These rankings listed Good Shepherd Medical Center as 1st in Texas and 4th in the United States for clinical excellence in Orthopedic Care. They also were ranked 1st in Texas and 15th in the United States for Patient Safety in Cardiac Care. Other specialty excellence awards received included:

Medical Excellence Awards and Patient Safety Awards in Overall Hospital Care, Overall Medical Care, Cardiac Care, Orthopedic Care, Neurological Care, and Respiratory Care
Patient Satisfaction Awards for Overall Hospital Care, Overall Medical Care, and Overall Surgical Care

Dr. Thane Forthman, managing principal at The Delta Group commented, "CareChex allows the public to make informed decisions regarding the quality of medical care provided by hospitals. We are pleased to acknowledge that Good Shepherd has achieved an exceptionally high level of performance across all components of medical quality. Good Shepherd is a benchmark that other hospitals should seek to emulate."

CareChex is a hospital quality rating service of The Delta Group - a national healthcare information services company that provides clinical, financial, and patient satisfaction findings to consumers, providers, and purchasers of U.S. medical care. Unlike other publicly available hospital quality ratings, CareChex provides a comprehensive evaluation of all components of medical quality including process of care, outcomes of care, and patient satisfaction.

Many of the specialty areas to receive recognition showed to be in the top 1% of hospitals in the United States.

"We are honored to continue to receive recognition from independent ratings companies like CareChex that identifies the level of quality care that Good Shepherd provides to its patients," stated Ed Banos, president and chief executive officer. "Our medical and nursing staffs are dedicated to providing this level of care to each and every patient and it is nice to see how we compare with other hospitals across the nation."

For more information or to learn more about the quality ratings of other hospitals in the area, go online to www.carechex.com.

About Good Shepherd

Good Shepherd Medical Center is the area's preferred hospital with a strong history and reputation for providing high quality, compassionate medical care. A full service, acute-care 425-bed regional referral center, Good Shepherd operates specialty nursing units including cardiology, orthopedics, general surgery, neurology/neurosurgery, oncology, critical care, obstetrics and pediatrics, where nurses are able to provide specialized care. For more information, go to http://www.gsmc.org.

About The Delta Group

The Delta Group is a leading healthcare information services and consulting company dedicated to providing an extensive array of products and services designed to measure, manage, and monitor the clinical, financial, and market performance of healthcare organizations. Our vision is simple: to see healthcare organizations achieve and maintain superior performance. Our mission is as broad as necessary and as narrow as possible-to assist clients in the interpretation, application, and implementation of findings which are catalysts for effecting meaningful change. This approach has proven to be the key to successful change management; whether in reducing clinical costs, improving medical quality, or redefining market strategy. For more information, go to www.thedeltagroup.com.

Methodist Recognized for Medical Excellence and Patient Safety

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:42:54 -0700

Methodist Recognized for Medical Excellence and Patient Safety

Peoria, IL (May 29, 2009) - Methodist Medical Center has received four national quality awards for both medical excellence and patient safety from The Delta Group, a leading healthcare information services and consulting company. The Delta Group recognized Methodist in its CareChex 2009 release of America's Top Quality Hospitals.

For overall medical excellence on a national level, Methodist ranked 138th in the nation and for major orthopedic surgery, Methodist was rated higher than 98 percent of all surveyed hospitals across the country.

Methodist also earned a national award in patient safety for overall hospital care and overall surgical care.

In addition to the national awards, Methodist ranked number one in Central Illinois for medical excellence in overall hospital care, overall medical care, overall surgical care, major orthopedic surgery, cancer care, and respiratory care. In the category of patient safety, Methodist was rated number one in Central Illinois for overall hospital care and overall surgical care.

Methodist president and CEO Michael Bryant said, "Quality and patient safety are essential to our mission of delivering outstanding healthcare--period. We are very proud of our number one ranking in this area, which is based on an independent analysis of data from all the hospitals. It confirms that we are doing the right things at Methodist."

About Methodist

Methodist Medical Center of Illinois includes a 353-bed hospital in the heart of Peoria. Founded in 1900, Methodist provides a full range of services, with almost 600 board-certified physicians backed by a dedicated team of healthcare professionals who combine high-tech medicine with genuine warmth and caring.

A recognized leader in healthcare in central Illinois, Methodist commitment to outstanding healthcare has earned a national reputation. Methodist is the only hospital in downstate Illinois with Joint Commission Disease Specific Certification for heart attack, heart failure, stroke, pneumonia, hip and knee replacement, and sleep disorders. Methodist is also the first hospital in downstate Illinois to be awarded Magnet designation for Excellence in Nursing Services, the nation's highest honor in patient care. For more information, go to www.mymethodist.net.

About The Delta Group

Mercy Ranked Fourth in Nation for Quality of Overall Medical Care

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 06:58:31 -0700

Mercy Ranked Fourth in Nation for Quality of Overall Medical Care

Des Moines, IA (April 3, 2009) - According to the latest national scorecard compiled by The Delta Group's CareChex® Medical Quality Rating System, Mercy Medical Center - Des Moines ranks fourth among all general, acute, non-federal U.S. hospitals for the quality of overall medical care provided.

The report - which bases its findings on three years of risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates combined with a detailed evaluation of clinical processes, outcomes and patient experiences - also ranks Mercy first in the nation for cardiac care and second in the nation for respiratory care.

"This latest announcement is another testament to the quality of care our physicians and staff provide to our patients each day," said President & CEO Dave Vellinga. "We all know how hard the entire Mercy Family works to ensure excellence in every aspect of patient care, but it's nice to be recognized by unbiased third parties on a national scale, as well. It is further proof the work we do each day is sacred and meaningful, and deeply impacts the patients and families we serve."

The CareChex Medical Quality Rating System is unlike other rating systems in that it provides a comprehensive, multi-dimensional analysis of medical quality. By factoring in a variety of process, outcome, safety and patient satisfaction measures, CareChex is able to accurately compare hospitals against national, state and local standards.

About Mercy

Mercy Medical Center - Des Moines is a 917-bed acute care, not-for-profit Catholic hospital situated on three campuses. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1893, Mercy is Des Moines' longest continually operating hospital and one of the largest employers in the state, with more than 6,900 employees and a medical staff of 900 physicians and allied health professionals.

Mercy is also one of the Midwest's largest referral centers, offering a variety of specialty services that are unique to Iowa and the region. To learn more, visit www.mercydesmoines.org.

About The Delta Group

Genesis Health Care System Chooses CareChex® to Monitor the Quality of Physician Care

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:53:52 -0800

Genesis Health Care System Chooses CareChex® to Monitor the Quality of Physician Care

Greenville, SC (February 10, 2009) - Genesis Health Care System chose The Delta Group's CareChex Physician Quality Rating System to monitor and improve clinical outcomes at Bethesda Care System and Good Samaritan Medical Center. Unlike other quality measurement systems, CareChex will provide Genesis with a single composite quality score across a broad set of quality indicators for key clinical categories, such as Cardiac Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery, allowing them to easily assess their overall quality performance.

Genesis will generate and distribute national and state quality scorecards for each physician as part of their performance improvement initiative. Importantly, the software system will identify excess charges, costs, and days of care associated with patient safety events, such as, post-operative respiratory failure and selected infections due to medical care.

"Genesis is continually looking for ways to improve health care through new technology, the latest treatments, and a commitment to patient satisfaction. By providing multi-dimensional, composite quality ratings to our medical staff, CareChex will play a vital role in measuring and monitoring patient safety, mortality, complications of care, and readmissions," commented Matthew Perry, president and chief executive officer for Genesis Health Care System.

CareChex will allow Genesis to drill-down to the MS-DRG and principal diagnosis and procedure level to assess variation in outcomes and further stratify the data by patient age, gender, discharge status, and payer category. These applications will allow Genesis to proactively position for value-based purchasing initiatives with both payers and employers.

About Genesis Health Care System

Genesis Health Care System is headquartered in Zanesville, OH. Genesis was created in 1997 as an affiliation between Bethesda Care System and Good Samaritan Medical Center. The system serves a six-county primary service area of southeastern Ohio and offers open-heart surgery, a Level II neonatal intermediate care unit, and advanced cancer services. Genesis has consistently exceeded the quality standards set forth by the Society of Thoracic Surgery for open heart and the American College of Cardiology for interventional cardiac procedures. To learn more, visit www.genesishcs.org.

About The Delta Group

Virtua Health Selects CareChex® to Improve and Promote Medical Quality

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:01:22 -0800

Virtua Health Selects CareChex® to Improve and Promote Medical Quality

Greenville, SC (February 5, 2009) - Virtua Health has selected the CareChex Hospital Quality Rating System (a component of The Delta Group's ACHIEVE Performance Improvement Suite) as both a strategic and operational tool for improving and promoting the quality of their medical services.

Virtua will use CareChex to compare their quality performance to both national and state standards of care across key components of medical quality: process of care, outcomes of care, and patient experiences. Composite quality ratings will be used to promote superior performance in the areas of overall medical excellence, patient safety, and patient satisfaction.

"Virtua is committed to delivering a world class patient experience through its programs of excellence in women's health, pediatrics, cancer, cardiology, orthopedics, and geriatrics. CareChex will enable our organization to objectively promote our medical excellence to employers, payers, and consumers in an integrated fashion across a broad range of quality indicators," said Dr. Ninfa Saunders, executive vice president of health services for Virtua Health.

The health system also uses The Delta Group's Trident Provider Profiling System for measuring, monitoring, and managing both hospital and physician performance on charges, costs, margins, and length of stay. Together, CareChex and Trident provide Virtua with the ability to maximize value to stakeholders by optimizing the relationship between price, efficiency, and clinical effectiveness.

About Virtua Health

Virtua Health is a multi-hospital healthcare system headquartered in Marlton, NJ. Virtua has been honored with the New Jersey Governor's Award for Performance Excellence two years in a row and has distinguished itself as one of the first Six Sigma organizations in health care, as an early adopter of clinical and digital technologies, and for its innovative partnership with General Electric to redefine 21st century patient care. To learn more, visit www.virtua.org.

About The Delta Group