ALLISTON, ONTARIO - The Hospital Report 2007, released on Friday, has provided Stevenson Memorial Hospital (SMH) with a wealth of information that is being analyzed as part of the continuous quality improvement process at the hospital.

Hospital Report is produced annually by an independent research group, for the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, as well as the Ontario Hospital Association. The Report is a comprehensive document that examines several areas of hospital operation and shows where progress is being made in patient care services. It also pinpoints areas for improvement. Hospital Report is designed for health care providers and managers and can be used by senior managers and Boards for strategic planning and the setting of priorities within hospitals.

"Hospital Report is another tool, like Accreditation, that we use to assess our performance. Results of the Accreditation process were made public in January of this year and now, a thorough analysis of this Report will take place so that we can once again evaluate our strengths and find opportunities where we can improve to better serve our community," said Edward Takacs, President and CEO of Stevenson Memorial.

"Medical and non-medical staff at SMH work on a daily basis to provide excellence in the care of patients. It is to their credit that we have maintained a high rate of overall patient satisfaction. Effective partnerships with larger centres have also contributed to some of our successes."

Stevenson Memorial's performance was in the range of other small hospitals and in many cases meets or exceeds the Provincial average. Inpatient satisfaction at SMH is high, in spite of workloads, the increasing level of acuity, (seriousness of condition) and the system wide shortage of human resources.

"Unlike a school report where subjects are completed and performance grades are finite, Hospital Report is used to adjust the curriculum or processes to build on our strengths and address our weaknesses. The hospital's quality committees will review the findings and make recommendations for advancement. The challenge is to do so within the evolving health care system," said Dr. Alex Riddell, Chief of Staff at SMH.

Patients are the priority at Stevenson Memorial and the hospital will continue to utilize every opportunity for improvement.