UVM Health Network Doubles Down on Quality and Safety Initiatives to Improve Patient Experience and Outcomes

Burlington, Vt. – Every spring and summer, independent organizations release hospital rankings, but the mix of letter grades, star ratings, and other reviews can leave patients and families unsure of what they really mean for their care. University of Vermont Health Network is committed to helping patients make sense of these ratings, and to demonstrating how the organization continually tracks and improves the quality and safety of the care it provides.

In line with national trends, some UVM Health Network hospitals may continue to receive lower rankings this year, reflecting the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its immediate aftermath, particularly the surge in delayed care and staffing shortages nationwide. Even so, patients should know that care teams across the health system have been actively working to turn this trend around, making measurable, real-time progress to improve both care quality and the patient experience.

• External Ratings: Understanding the Full Picture - Hospital rankings vary widely, as each organization uses its own scoring system. Some, such as Leapfrog, rate hospitals even if they do not participate in the lengthy data submission process required by that specific group, and the lack of data can negatively impact a hospital’s rating regardless of actual performance. Most Vermont hospitals have chosen not to participate with Leapfrog, so ratings from that organization do not capture the full picture of safety and quality at those hospitals. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) star ratings are often viewed as the gold standard, but even these rely on data that can be several years old, creating a lag between performance and published results. For example, after earning five-star ratings for three consecutive years, UVM Medical Center received four stars last year—a reflection of data collected during and immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic. This trend is expected to continue across much of the health system for at least another year or two, meaning that today’s meaningful improvements may take time to appear in external ratings.
• Trusted Reviews and Peer Comparison - 
Hospital ratings are just one way quality and safety are assessed. In addition to its own internal tracking and accountability measures, UVM Health Network undergoes regular reviews by The Joint Commission, which conducts in-depth, on-site surveys to ensure hospitals meet CMS quality and safety standards. These reviews examine everything from clinical processes to technology and systems of care. The health system also participates in Vizient, the nation’s largest health care performance improvement organization, which allows hospitals to benchmark results, share strategies, and collaborate with other leading academic health systems nationwide.

“Quality is measured in so many different ways – whether it’s about the food we serve, or how long it takes to park for an appointment; how clearly our providers communicate with patients and each other, or the amount of time a doctor spent with a patient; the incremental ups and downs of data that track falls or infections,” said Carrie Howard-Canning, MSN, MBA, chief nursing executive at UVM Health Network. “Our goal is to deliver the highest level of quality possible for our patients in each one of those dimensions, and so many more, which requires dedicated focus by our clinical experts all the time. Living and working in Vermont and northern New York, our patients are our friends, families and neighbors, and they deserve the absolute best we can bring every day and every night.”

Quality Work is About ‘Steady Progress’

Building on successful staff recruitment and retention efforts, as well as reducing reliance on traveling workers and supporting professional growth, initiatives large and small continue to drive improvement across the health system. 

• At both UVM Medical Center and Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC), a renewed focus on the “basics” of care has led to measurable improvements: reducing fall-related injuries, lowering rates of pressure injuries and preventing hospital-acquired infections. Even with rates that were already low, these teams are demonstrating how thoughtful, targeted process improvements can make a meaningful impact. At CVMC, the renewed focus on fall prevention has reduced incidents by more than a third.
• As an academic health system, staff across UVM Health Network are encouraged to lead efforts that improve care and enhance the patient experience. At Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH), nurses developed a simple yet powerful tracking system to ensure patients on oral chemotherapy receive their medications on time, while also helping providers detect side effects earlier. 
• At Central Vermont Medical Center, 47 teams recently showcased their own quality improvement projects at a May 14 forum, and just two days later, CVPH held a similar event to highlight staff-led innovations. Alice Hyde Medical Center and CVPH have implemented barcode medication administration to help prevent medication errors, while Porter Medical Center is piloting a new process to improve care for pediatric asthma patients during medication administration. Porter Medical Center and Elizabethtown Community Hospital follow the highly reliable organization (HRO) quality improvement structure to monitor and continuously improve patient quality and safety performance including readmission, efficiency of care, and patient experience.  Both hospitals are leveraging the health system’s expertise to provide the most efficient and safe health care delivery to their local communities. 

More Tools for Patients Coming Soon

Starting this fall, UVM Health Network will begin publishing star ratings and comments directly from patients about their experiences with physicians and advanced practice providers. These reviews, gathered through surveys administered by Press Ganey, will give patients helpful insights as they choose the provider who’s right for them. Early results show clinicians earning an average 4.8 out of 5-star rating.

“It comes back to the fact that this is everyday work, and creating a culture of accountability and innovation. We are continuously looking at how we are doing on patient safety and quality today, and we use that information to adjust and improve how we care for patients tomorrow,” added Howard-Canning. “I'm immensely proud of the work our teams do every day to provide the highest quality care to our patients, and for the role everyone plays in making sure that quality only gets better.”