Finding Quality Information

There are numerous organizations and governmental bodies that measure data, provide national benchmarks, and help to shape the definition of quality health care in the United States.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
The mission of AHRQ is to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. Consumers & Patients can find information and resources on quality of care, medical errors and patient safety, various clinical conditions, prevention and wellness, prescription medicines, choosing a health plan, and many other topics.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is the governmental health care payor for qualifying seniors and lower-income families. CMS provides reimbursement for health care charges and sets reimbursement benchmarks for other payors. CMS also works with the Department of Health and Human Services to set health care policies and quality standards. CMS has recently developed several quality improvement efforts, and now requires hospitals to report data on several key factors. You may compare Bon Secours Richmond’s results with other hospitals and nursing homes in your area.

HealthGrades
HealthGrades, a for-profit company, is the leading healthcare ratings organization, providing ratings and profiles of hospitals, nursing homes and physicians to consumers, corporations, health plans and hospitals. HealthGrades provides general information for free; however, in-depth reports may be purchased.

The Joint Commission
The Joint Commission helps health care organizations help patients through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. The Joint Commission accreditation helps hospitals improve their performance, raise the level of patient care, and demonstrate accountability in the rapidly changing health care marketplace.

The Leapfrog Group
Leapfrog Group is a voluntary program aimed at mobilizing employer purchasing power to alert America’s health industry that big leaps in health care safety, quality and customer value will be recognized and rewarded. Among other initiatives, Leapfrog works with its employer members to encourage transparency and easy access to health care information as well as rewards for hospitals that have a proven record of high quality care.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
The NCQA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA has helped to build consensus around important health care quality issues by working with large employers, policymakers, doctors, patients and health plans to decide what’s important, how to measure it, and how to promote improvement. NCQA has developed a report card to help consumers select a health plan or physician.

United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is the principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.

UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare, a private health insurance company, offers to member consumers the UnitedHealth Premium designation program and UnitedHealth Premium hospital comparison program. These tools give you the information you need to make informed decisions when choosing a doctor or hospital.

Virginia Health Information (VHI)
VHI is your source for Virginia health care data. VHI has information and data on Virginia hospitals, health insurance, nursing facilities, physicians, retirement centers and other health care providers. Learn about care options, compare services and choose providers. VHI also licenses databases and creates special reports for employers, researchers, consultants, and health care providers.

A Message from Our CEO

Our Commitment to Quality Outcomes and Price Transparency

As President and CEO of Bon Secours Health System Inc., and President and CEO of Bon Secours Richmond Health System, we strongly believe that if patients could better understand and more effectively use health services, community health status could improve, the value of health care to the communities we serve could be enhanced, and the rate of increase in health care costs could be reduced.

To help our patients make informed decisions about their own health care, Bon Secours will take a proactive approach in providing meaningful price and quality information that is easily accessible. Integrating price and quality allows patients to interpret the true value of care that a provider can deliver. Transparency ensures that our patients, their families, and our employees and physicians can hold each other accountable to the high standard of excellence that we have set for ourselves.

Inspired by the healing ministry of Jesus Christ, Bon Secours has committed to help bring people and communities to health and wholeness. By creating a transparent delivery system, patients will be empowered to become responsible health care purchasers that select qualified physicians and hospitals. Patients will choose providers that deliver care that is both high-quality and cost-effective, recognizing that health care is not a commodity, but a service with highly variable outcomes.

A prophetic voice for systemic health reform, Bon Secours will lead the way in health care transparency and embrace the possibilities that increased consumerism in health care presents. Our new clinical information system will transform the way we deliver care, resulting in enhanced operating performance and clinical outcomes. By disseminating price and quality data and increasing the accessibility of medical records, Bon Secours will be able to improve outcomes, better allocate financial resources, and increase access to health care services in the communities we serve.

Sincerely,

Richard J. Statuto
President and CEO
Bon Secours Health System, Inc.

Peter Bernard
President and CEO
Bon Secours Richmond Health System

Hospital Charges and Out of Pocket Expenses

Looking for information about charges involved in a hospitalization? Bon Secours Health System is pleased to offer patients two quick and convenient options:

1. Get estimated cost for a procedure at any facility in the Bon Secours Richmond family of hospitals.
2. Compare average charges at Bon Secours Richmond facilities with those at other hospitals in the same county and across the state

The second link above points to Virginia Price Point a user-friendly resource sponsored by the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association. The Virginia Hospitals and Healthcare Association (VHHA) partnered with the Wisconsin Hospital Association to produce VHHA PricePoint, a consumer-friendly database of hospital charges, utilization and payer mix.

VHHA PricePoint achieves both access and education. VHHA PricePoint provides:

• Aggregate discount information for each hospital for the three major kinds of health care coverage – private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid. This information allows users to understand how hospitals’ charges compare to the amount of revenue they actually collect for services provided to the three patient categories.
• Hospital charge information for all Virginia hospitals, all services, and the average length of stay.

Estimated Cost and Out of Pocket Estimates

How Much Will My Hospital Services Cost?
Prospective patients in the Bon Secours Richmond family of hospitals – St. Mary’s Hospital, Memorial Regional Medical Center, Richmond Community Hospital and St.Francis Medical Center – are welcome to request a cost estimate for any hospital procedure.  Estimates are based on hospital charges for anticipated routine care and recovery, taking into consideration insurance coverage, co-payments, deductibles, coinsurance and other information that may affect personal out-of-pocket costs.

Actual charges on the final hospital bill may vary from the estimate, based on the patient’s medical condition, unknown circumstances or complications, final diagnosis, and recommended treatment ordered by the attending physician(s). Persons with insurance should also contact their insurance company for the most accurate information regarding plan structure, deductibles, co-payments and any other factors that might affect personal liability for anticipated health care services.

Estimates provided by Bon Secours Richmond hospitals cover hospital charges only, and do not include professional fees for services such as those provided by a physician, surgeon, radiologist, pathologist, anesthesiologist, nurse practitioner or other independent practitioner. Even though physicians and other independent practitioners are members of each BSR facility’s medical staff, they are neither employees nor agents of the hospital. All professional fees are billed separately.

Physicians or other practitioners who provide professional services may not participate in an individual patient’s health benefit plan. Patients should contact their plan administrator to determine the contract status of hospital-based providers such as pathologists, radiologists or anesthesiologists.

Call Today for a Cost Estimate!
Contact one of the Financial Counselors located at Bon Secours Richmond hospitals listed below to obtain an estimate of hospital costs for an inpatient stay or an outpatient procedure:

St. Mary's Hospital – (804) 281-8365

Memorial Regional Medical Center – (804)764-6240

Richmond Community Hospital – (804)225-1721

St. Francis Medical Center – (804)594-3152

Keys to Quality: What to Look for in a Hospital

Accreditation: The Joint Commission has been accrediting hospitals for more than 50 years. Its accreditation is a nationwide seal of approval that indicates a hospital meets high performance standards. The Joint Commission accreditation helps hospitals improve their performance, raise the level of patient care, and demonstrate accountability in the rapidly changing health care marketplace.

All Bon Secours Richmond hospitals have The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval.

Experience: From general and surgical services through emergency and specialized care, the more experience a hospital has with the necessary procedures, the better the outcome.

Bon Secours Richmond hospitals see more than 45,000 admissions and more than 301,000 outpatient visits each year. Bon Secours physicians employ state-of-the-art technologies to perform thousands of surgeries each year.

Range of Services : Hospitals that offer a broad range of services are better equipped to treat complex medical conditions.

Experience and expertise combine at Bon Secours, as physicians at our hospitals represent all medical specialties. Each year, more than 6,300 births, 53,000 cardiovascular, 16,000 neurological, 54,000 orthopedic, and 37,000 surgical procedures are performed.

Board Certification: Board certification demonstrates a physician’s exceptional expertise in a particular specialty and/or subspecialty of medical practice. Medical licensure sets the minimum competency requirements to diagnose and treat patients. Physicians who are board certified have completed a specified amount of training and have passed difficult written and oral examinations.

There are more than 2,000 board-certified specialists and 400 board-certified primary care physicians who practice at Bon Secours Richmond. There are over 1,000 physicians on the medical staff with active privileges.

Nursing Care: Nurses are a key component to the delivery of high-quality, safe patient care.

Bon Secours takes into consideration patients’ unique needs and provides skilled nurses and adequate resources to accomplish desired outcomes. In 2007, more than 2,800 nurses (RN) and licensed practical nurses (LPN) provided excellent patient care for Bon Secours Richmond patients.

Patient Safety: An integral part of quality patient care is patient safety. Hospitals should illustrate a commitment to reduce healthcare errors and increase overall patient safety.

Bon Secours has instituted several key initiatives, technologies, and programs to increase patient safety. Among these is Bon Secours ConnectCare, an advanced clinical information system designed to further our mission and goals and deliver clinical excellence. Bon Secours is dedicated to creating a culture of safety, eliminating preventable deaths, complying with evidence-based medicine, and providing the best care possible in the safest environment.

Patient Satisfaction: Many hospitals routinely use surveys to measure patients’ perceptions of care and experiences. The surveys focus on aspects of service including: cleanliness, communication with patients, teamwork of doctors and nurses, and food quality.

Bon Secours is committed to the achievement of service excellence. Bon Secours Richmond has consistently exceeded national benchmarks for patient satisfaction with overall quality of care.