Terms in the Hospitals
Ranking
Mortality
index
Compares
the number of deaths with the number predicted (after
adjusting for severity of condition), based on Medicare
inpatients treated at the hospital. If the number was equal to
the number predicted, the mortality index is 1.00. Above 1.00
means worse than predicted; below 1.00 means better. Deaths
counted occurred within 30 days from the date of admission
except in Cancer, in which deaths are from admission to
discharge.
Discharges
Total
number of Medicare inpatients who received specified medical
and surgical care .
Nursing
index
Indicates
relative balance of nurses to patients; higher is better.
Nurses must be on-staff RNS, not temps or from agencies.
Nurses are counted in "full-time equivalents"—two half-time
nurses, for example, equal one full-time equivalent. Patients
are an adjusted daily average of inpatients and outpatients,
giving more weight to inpatients.
Nurse
Magnet hospital
Indicates
whether the hospital satisfied standards set by the American
Nurses Credentialing Center for nursing
excellence.
Advanced
services
Indicates
how many key technologies and capabilities are offered. There
are 14 in all, but the maximum number varies by specialty
(seven in Cancer and two in Geriatrics, for example). They
include infection isolation room, robotic surgery, shaped beam
radiation, and stereotactic radiosurgery. One point is awarded
for on-site availability, half a point if nearby but
off-site.
Patient
services
Indicates
how many services believed key to the overall quality of a
patient's stay are offered. There are 12 altogether; the
maximum number varies from a high of nine in Geriatrics to a
low of six in several specialties. Examples include arthritis
treatment center, patient-controlled pain relief, hospice
and/or palliative care, and translators. One point is awarded
for on-site availability, half a point if nearby but
off-site.
Trauma
center
Indicates
state certification as a Level 1 or 2 trauma center that can
provide advanced care for severely injured patients. This
capability has been shown to be related to a hospital's
overall quality.
NCI cancer
center
Indicates
designation by the National Cancer Institute as of April 1,
2007, as a "clinical" or "comprehensive" cancer center,
denoting high-quality research and clinical
care.
FACT credit
Indicates
whether the hospital met standards set by the Foundation
for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy for transplanting
cells to treat cancer. Half a point is given if accreditation
is only for autologous transplants, in which a patient's own
cells are removed and then returned following radiation
therapy. A full point is given if accreditation is for
allogeneic transplants, in which cells are donated by another
person (allowing a greater number and more kinds of cell
transplants) or for both autologous and allogeneic
transplantation.
