Nationally-Recognized for Excellence
Thomson Reuters Names Mercy Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals
in the Nation
2012 Heart Report
in the Nation
The study examined the performance of more than 1,000 hospitals by analyzing outcomes for patients with heart failure and heart attacks and for those who received coronary bypass surgery and percutaneous coronary interventions such as angioplasties.
This is the fifth time Mercy has been recognized with this honor.
HealthGrades Rates Mercy Top 5% in the Nation for:
2012 Heart Report
• Overall Cardiac Services
• Cardiology Services
• Coronary Interventional Procedures
About Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, healthcare and science and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs 55,000 people and operates in over 100 countries. For more information, go to http://thomsonreuters.com.
About HealthGrades
Health Grades, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGRD) is the leading independent healthcare ratings organization, providing quality ratings, profiles and cost information on the nation's hospitals, physicians, nursing homes and prescription drugs. Millions of patients and many of the nation’s largest employers, health plans and hospitals rely on HealthGrades’ quality ratings, advisory services and decision-support resources. More information on how HealthGrades guides America to better healthcare can be found at http://www.healthgrades.com.
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Breast Cancer
The Mercy Cancer Center takes great pride in the care we deliver. To monitor the quality of that care, we track specific quality measures and compare them to benchmark measures. We think consumers have the right to know this information so you can draw your own conclusions regarding your health care choices.
Quality data can be confusing so Mercy Cancer Center is taking the initiative to publish this information in an understandable format. We invite you to review this information and please call us if you have questions. We are committed to providing the very highest quality cancer care.
Breast cancer quality data is the first to be published. Please refer back to our web site in the coming months to see quality data for other cancer diagnoses.
Breast Cancer Quality Data
Mammography MQSA Certification
5-Year Breast Cancer Survival Rate
Percentage of Early Stage Breast Cancer
Minimally Invasive Breast Biopsy
Breast Conservation Surgery
Radiation Treatment with Breast Conservation Surgery
Mammography MQSA Certification
When you have a mammogram, you want to be confident that your healthcare facility is certified and meets the highest standards for personnel qualifications, equipment, radiation dose, quality assurance programs, recordkeeping and reporting. Congress enacted the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) to ensure women have access to quality mammography services. To become MQSA certified, mammography facilities must employ only registered mammography technologists and undergo a thorough annual inspection conducted by federally trained and certified State surveyors who review over 50 quality indicators.
Mercy
National
% Annual Inspections with No
MQSA Violations
100%*
76.4%
100% at all Mercy locations: Main Campus, North Canton, Jackson, Louisville, Carrollton
5-Year Breast Cancer Survival Rate
Overall survival from breast cancer is the most important goal. Survival is tied to the stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. Five-year survival rate (the percentage of women who are still alive five years after diagnosis) is the standard measurement that is used to express the outlook for your disease. The cancer stage - noted as a number from 0 to IV - is based on the size of the tumor and whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. The lower the number, the less disease. It is important to remember that these survival rates are based on averages. Some women with advanced breast cancer live significantly longer than seven years and researchers are constantly developing new treatment alternatives to prolong breast cancer survival.
Mercy
National
Combined Stage 0-II
87.4%
87.1%
Combined Stage III-IV
40.9%
42.9%
Combined All Stages
82.7%
82.3%
Source: CIRF Cancer Registry Reported to National Cancer Database
Percentage of Early Stage Breast Cancer
Because disease stage at diagnosis significantly influences survival, it is critical to diagnose breast cancers as early as possible. Mercy Cancer Center tracks the percentage of breast cancers diagnosed at Stage 0 through II which offer women the greatest advantage of long-term survival.
Mercy
National
% of Breast Cancers
Diagnosed at
Stage 0-II
91.4%
83.2%
Source: CIRF Cancer Registry Reported to National Cancer Database
Minimally Invasive Breast Biopsy
Minimally invasive breast biopsy involves taking a core of breast tissue rather than performing an incision to remove a breast tissue sample. Research shows that conventional surgical biopsies present certain disadvantages including prolonged time to diagnosis, breast scarring, increased pain for the patient and substantially higher costs than the minimally invasive options. It is important to note that not all breast lesions can be biopsied by minimally invasive techniques, but it is a biopsy technique that should be considered when appropriate.
Mercy
National
% of Minimally Invasive
Breast Biopsies
75.6%
65%
Source: CIRF Cancer Registry Reported to National Cancer Database
Breast Conservation Surgery
The National Institutes of Health has recommended breast conservation surgery (lumpectomy) rather than mastectomy for the majority of women with early stage, invasive breast cancer. Lumpectomy decreases the potential for adverse effects from surgery and minimizes physical alterations. More importantly, studies have proven that long-term survival is no different. Despite these facts, some women still opt for mastectomy.
Mercy
National
% Breast Conservation
Surgery
65.8%
65%
Source: CIRF Cancer Registry and Oncology Roundtable Survey
Radiation Treatment with Breast Conservation Surgery
The purpose of breast conservation therapy is to give women the same cure rate they would have if they were treated with a mastectomy but to leave the breast intact, with an appearance and texture as close as possible to what they had before treatment. Breast conservation surgery (lumpectomy) is almost always followed by radiation therapy. The purpose of the radiation treatment is to decrease the recurrence of breast cancer in the remaining breast tissue. Years of clinical study have proven that breast conservation therapy offers the same cure rate as mastectomy.
Mercy
National
% Patients with Breast Conserving
Surgery that Received Radiation
93.4%
85.0%
Source: CIRF Cancer Registry and NCCN 9th Annual Conference
Other Measures of Quality
The mark of excellence can also be defined by other important quality indicators that are not demonstrated through statistics. Mercy Cancer Center is committed to excellence in cancer care as evidenced by:
Three-year accreditation with accommodation as a Comprehensive Community Hospital Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer
Timely and accurate submission of all patient data to the National Cancer Data Base
Accreditation of Stereotactic Breast Biopsy Services by the American College of Radiology
Bi-weekly multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Conferences
Weekly multidisciplinary Tumor Conferences
Mercy Medical Center Medical Staff comprised of 94% Board Certified Physicians
LIVE OPERATORS
Mercy Medical Center maintains a 24/7 staff of PBX operators, providing appropriate staffing levels to ensure responsive answering of incoming calls. All operators are trained to provide courteous service to all callers. New operators receive extensive training before they work independently.
ON-CALL SCHEDULES
The AMTELCO system allows us to maintain a current on-call list with the ability to make immediate changes according to the needs of each physician. Clients can maintain their oncall schedule through the internet.
INDIVIDUALIZED CLIENT PROTOCOLS
Since we can identify where a forwarded phone call is coming from, the Infinity system allows us to “pop up” a unique instruction screen for each answering service client. The instructions for handling that client’s calls can be tailored to the needs of the physician and their practice.
PAGING AND CELL TEXT SERVICES
Physicians are paged/texted/emailed according to the instructions provided by the client. These instructions are presented to the operator automatically as a call is received for that answering service client. Physicians can be paged on numeric or alpha pagers or cell phones. Physicians using alpha page or cell text can receive information related to the patient and their problem before calling in.
PAGER RENTALS USA
Mobility pagers may be rented through this service. There is no mark up in pricing. By providing this “pass through” service, we are able to offer exchange pagers to facilitate quick exchanges for defective pagers. We maintain spare pagers to assist physicians with “no hassle” pager exchanges.
DAILY FAXING/EMAILING
On a daily basis (7 days a week), the messages for each physician office can be faxed or e-mailed automatically to a designated fax number or e-mail address.
REMOTE RECEPTION SERVICE
This service allows us to answer the client’s “overflow” calls when the office phone lines are busy. Upon completion of the call, the message is immediately faxed to the client’s office.
WEB ACCESS TO MESSAGES
The client can access their daily messages via the internet. They can determine how many days of messages are maintained before they are archived.
PERSONALIZED GREETING
The AMTECO Infinity system allows each client to have a personalized greeting. This greeting can provide the caller with office hours, emergency instructions or other relevant information. This greeting may be re-recorded at any time to reflect changes.
DOCUMENTATION
All pages and messages are documented in a database that is archived daily. All archived messages and pages are searchable and retrievable for any inquiries.
FEES
The fee structure is based on messages taken and other services provided. A separate options and pricing sheet is provided.
PHYSICIAN ANSWERING SERVICES OFFERED
24 x 7 Live operator answering
On-call schedule maintenance
Individualized client instructions
Physician paging services, alpha or numeric pagers, cell text
Pager rental and exchanges (USA Mobility Paging)
Daily or ad hoc faxing or emailing of patient messages
Remote Reception Service
Personalized greetings for each physician office
Extensive documentation
Cost competitive fee structure
You are cordially invited to visit Mercy Medical Center’s Telecommunications Department. Located in the basement, near Medical Records to see our AMTELCO Infinity PBX System in action.
For further information please contact:
Woody Adamson, Director
330-489-1220
Natalie Tillman, Coordinator
Debra Cooksey, Coordinator
330-489-1000
