Quality & Patient Safety

Improving Quality of Care and Keeping Patients Safe

At Winchester Hospital, quality and patient safety are key organization-wide priorities. We continuously work to improve patient outcomes and make Winchester Hospital the safest environment possible for patients, visitors and colleagues. We strive to improve quality and safety, reduce errors, eliminate harm, and meet the needs of our patients.

About Our Quality and Patient Safety Department

Quality and safety is the number one priority at Winchester Hospital. The Quality and Patient Safety Department works with our leaders, physicians and staff to continually improve quality and safety, reduce errors, eliminate harm and meet the needs of our patients.

The Quality and Patient Safety Department monitors performance on important quality measures and works with other departments to develop programs and initiatives to improve the quality and safety of the care we provide.

Make Your Voice Heard

We encourage you to take an active role in your care by asking questions of your care providers and speaking up about your concerns. If you have concerns about the quality of the care you have received, please contact our patient advocate at 781-756-7159.

Quality Ratings

To assist our patients and their families, links to various reporting tools are listed below.

• Care Compare provides you with information on how well the hospitals in your area care for their adult patients with certain medical conditions, to help you compare the quality of care hospitals provide.
• Quality Check provides detailed information about an organization's performance, The Joint Commission’s accreditation decision and the effective dates of the accreditation award.
• PatientCareLink is the nation's healthcare resource dedicated to providing patients, families and caregivers with the most transparent information available on the care provided at Massachusetts hospitals.
• HealthGrades offers physician, surgeon and hospital reports to assist consumers in selecting healthcare providers.
• Massachusetts Health Quality Partners (MHQP) provides information to help physicians improve the quality of care they provide their patients and help consumers take an active role in making informed decisions about their health care.
• The Leapfrog Group offers an interactive tool allowing consumers to compare hospitals' progress at implementing Leapfrog-recommended quality and safety practices.

ICU Staffing Ratios

As part of our effort to continue offering the best possible patient and family centered experience, Winchester Hospital is committed to providing our quarterly ICU staffing ratios to patients, colleagues and regulatory agencies. This ratio indicates the average number of patients our ICU nurses care for during a given work day.

Exceptional Nurses

Winchester Hospital was the first community hospital in Massachusetts to earn Magnet recognition, which recognizes quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice.

Maternity Services

Winchester Hospital is recognized as one of the area’s most prominent obstetric hospitals, offering a 24-hour laborist program and a Special Care Nursery for newborns in need of specialized medical care.

Pain Management Center

The skilled and caring staff at Winchester Hospital's Pain Management Center helps hundreds of patients each year reduce and cope with chronic pain so that they can lead more active and productive lives.