Quality Measures

Harrington began assessing its performance for patient satisfaction and patient experience using national survey tools administered by Press Ganey, an independent company that measures patient satisfaction and experience scores. We utilize HCAHPS, the national Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems for our inpatients. They also survey our outpatients and emergency care patients.

The measures of timely and effective care (also known as “process of care” measures) show (1) the percentage of hospital patients who receive treatments known to get the best results for certain common, serious medical conditions or surgical procedures, and (2) how quickly hospitals treat patients who come to the hospital with certain medical emergencies. The measures only apply to patients for whom the recommended treatment would be appropriate. By law, any measures reported on the Hospital Compare website must reflect accepted standards of care, based on current scientific evidence. The measures are regularly reviewed and revised to ensure that they are up-to-date, and new measures and types of conditions and treatments will be added over time.

• Heart Attack Care
  An acute myocardial infarction (AMI), also called a heart attack, happens when one of the heart’s arteries becomes blocked and the supply of blood and oxygen to part of the heart muscle is slowed or stopped. When the heart muscle doesn’t get the oxygen and nutrients it needs, the affected heart tissue may die. These measures show some of the standards of care provided, if appropriate, for most adults who have had a heart attack.
• Heart Failure Care
  Heart Failure is a weakening of the heart’s pumping power. With heart failure, your body doesn’t get enough oxygen and nutrients to meet its needs. These measures show some of the process of care provided for most adults with heart failure.
• Pneumonia Care
  Pneumonia is a serious lung infection that causes difficulty breathing, fever, cough and fatigue. These measures show some of the recommended treatments for pneumonia.
• Surgical Care
  Hospitals can reduce the risk of infection after surgery by making sure they provide care that’s known to get the best results for most patients.
• Hospital-Acquired Infections
  Hospital-acquired infections and drug-resistant “superbugs” make infection prevention a challenge for hospitals. Harrington staff is diligent regarding infection prevention.

• Thirteen “A” grades for hospital safety by The Leapfrog Group;
• Finalist in the Best of Central Mass Hospital contest – 2018 and 2019;
• Recognized for clinical excellence in wound care, including three consecutive years as a Center of Excellence;
• American Heart Association Get with the Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Award;
• Cancer Center accreditation by the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons;
• Named a Top Hospital in the Region three years in a row: 2013, 2014 and 2015;
• State leader in decreased readmissions, 2011-2013;
• Top Performer in Patient Satisfaction and Patient Experience from Healthgrades — one of only four hospitals in the state and the only hospital in central Massachusetts to receive both awards, placing us among the top 2%.
• Mass Department of Public Health SCORE (Stroke Collaborative Reaching for Excellence) Award for defect-free care
• A statewide award by an advisory panel to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) for the exemplary work of its TB Clinic;
• Joint Commission Top Improver for CORE Measures;
• Ranking among the top 2 percent of all hospitals in the country for short wait times, according to statistics compiled by an influential healthcare publication.

Among our other nationally-recognized achievements, we are proud to have these valued partnerships and certifications:

• American College of Radiology – ACR Accreditation is recognized as the gold standard in medical imaging. Harrington is a Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence and a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence with accreditation in CT, Mammography, Breast MRI and Breast Ultrasound, as well as a designated ACR-accredited Lung Cancer Screening Center;
• Joint Commission Accreditation – fully accredited by The Joint Commission, a distinction that is a nationwide seal of approval that indicates we meet high-performance standards
• Harrington’s two Emergency Care Centers are designated Stroke Centers for Massachusetts DPH
• College of American Pathologists accreditation
• American College of Radiology accreditation
• Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center – our Radiology Departments and Emergency Care Centers are staffed by Harvard-trained physicians from HMFP

Should you have any questions, concerns or suggestions about our operations, our quality or the safety of our care, please feel free to e-mail us we will respond to your concerns.

Patients want and expect clinical excellence and safe and compassionate care and we are working hard to deliver it every single day, for every single patient.