Unbiased information on the quality and safety of Colorado Hospitals

On November 28th, 2007, Governor Bill Ritter and the Colorado Hospital Association unveiled a new website called the Colorado Hospital Report Card. The report card provides unbiased information and educates consumers on the quality and safety of patients at Colorado hospitals.

The site, Colorado Hospital Quality, was developed as a result of the House Bill 1278 which requires Colorado hospitals to report various measures and details about their facilities to inform consumers about their health care.

Information on mortality rates at Colorado hospitals for strokes, heart failure, heart bypass, pneumonia and blood clots are made public. Patient safety, prevention measures, procedure volume and hospital-acquired infections are also compared.

In a press conference at Denver Health Medical Center, Governor Bill Ritter stated, "We're [State of Colorado] in a very serious health care crisis in this country and a lot of it has to do with access, but a lot of it has to do with quality and costs."

This new site will not only help consumers, but will also contribute to Colorado hospitals in continuing to improve the quality and reputations of their health care and facilities.

"We will continue to improve the website to be user-friendly," said Steve Summer, president and CEO of the Colorado Hospital Association.

Rick Haugh, director of communications of the Colorado Hospital Association, also explained that many new improvements are planned in the future for the report card, including new data and reports from Colorado physicians and health plans.

The Colorado Hospital Association, who represents all types of hospitals throughout Colorado, joined forces on this project. Their mission is to improve patient safety, hospital efficiency and effectiveness. A link to the Colorado Hospital Report Card can also be found on their website at Colorado Hospital Association.