Quality and Safety

Holy Cross Health is committed to providing safe, quality care to every patient and family. We are committed to patient safety as a core value and strive towards the goal of zero preventable harm. Monitoring our quality and safety outcomes in the care we provide helps us to improve the way we deliver care. Each year, Holy Cross Hospital:

• Incorporates The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals into our care practices
• Proactively seeks new and innovative ways to provide the highest quality and safest care for our patients

As part of our continuing efforts to provide our patients and the community with accessible, accurate and honest data, we encourage you to review quality and safety information for Holy Cross on the following websites. Our goal in each of the metrics is to perform better than the national and state benchmark. 

• Hospital Compare
• The Joint Commission’s Quality Check®

Certifications and Reviews

On a routine basis, Holy Cross welcomes surveyors from organizations into our facilities to ensure we are consistently providing the best possible experience and outcomes for our patients. These organizations, like the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), the Florida Department of Health (DOH) and other regulatory agencies routinely work with hospitals to ensure all patients receive the highest quality, safest patient care. A rigorous review process is mutually beneficial and affirms the quality and safety of our care, which is always our top priority.

The Joint Commission

The Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization, evaluates and certifies over 22,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality and safety that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards. The Joint Commission’s comprehensive accreditation process evaluates an organization’s compliance with these standards and other accreditation requirements.

Through the Joint Commission’s Quality Check® website, consumers have access to information about Joint Commission-accredited health care organizations and programs throughout the United States, as well as organizations that are not accredited by the Joint Commission.

Our Focus Areas

Focused on quality and safety for all patients and colleagues, we focus on six areas:

• Safe – care will be delivered in a safe area
• Timely – care will be provided in a timely manner
• Effective – care is focused on evidence-based research
• Efficient – care will be delivered as efficient as possible by eliminating waste and reducing the cost for patients
• Equitable – care will be provided with no bias
• Patient-Centered – care will be centered around the patient and will involve others as necessary to ensure it is meaningful to each individual needs

Improve the Quality of Your Health Care Experience

• Use MyChart to communicate – Stay connected with your care team, ask non-urgent questions, request prescription refills and manage appointments—all in one secure place
• Always have a medication list on hand or on your phone – Keeping an up-to-date list helps your providers avoid harmful drug interactions and ensures you receive the safest, most effective treatment
• Access test results – Reviewing your results helps you stay informed about your health and prepares you to have more meaningful conversations with your provider
• Ask questions to your provider – Engaging in open dialogue helps you better understand your care plan, make informed decisions and feel more confident in your treatment

Quality and Safety Initiatives

At Holy Cross Health we are committed to clinical excellence, continuous improvement and a culture of safety at every level of care. Every Holy Cross Health colleague plays a vital role in ensuring that patients receive the safest and most effective care possible.

Through our TogetherSafe initiative, we are on a journey toward high reliability in health care with a commitment to having zero safety events for our patients and our staff. This means we are constantly improving how we prevent harm, respond to challenges and support our caregivers and patients.

Here’s how we’re making care safer and better every day:

• All departments have implemented daily safety huddles to increase awareness of safety risks and prevent safety incidents
• Standardizing incident and complaint reporting to ensure timely and consistent investigation, action and responses
• Responding to serious safety events with a unified, transparent approach
• Training all staff in our Foundations of Safety program to build a strong safety culture
• Developing safety leaders through advanced training in cause analysis
• Hiring dedicated safety specialists to guide and support our teams
• Engaging leadership in regular safety assessments and strategy development
• Listening to our staff through regular colleague surveys on safety, leadership, and engagement
• Reinforcing leadership rounding to stay connected with frontline teams
• Supporting staff well-being through retention and wellness initiatives
• Voluntarily participating in the Leapfrog survey and other public reporting to benchmark and improve our performance
• Achieving disease-specific certifications to ensure excellence in specialized care
• Ongoing focused work to reduce patient falls (CAUTI, SSI reduction, etc.)

Every step we take is guided by our mission to improve health and well-being for all. We are proud to be your trusted partner in care – today and into the future.

Quality Stroke Care

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, but timely, high-quality care can dramatically improve outcomes. Every minute counts during a stroke, so fast treatment—like clot-busting drugs or surgical intervention—can save brain function and lives. Hospitals, such as Holy Cross, that follow evidence-based stroke protocols see higher survival rates, reduced disability, and faster recovery and discharge. Effective stroke care also reduces complications and long-term care needs. This leads to lower healthcare costs for families and systems. Quality care ensures all patients—regardless of location or background—receive timely, appropriate treatment. Compassionate, coordinated care helps patients feel safe and supported during a critical time.

For information showcasing outcomes for patients receiving stroke care at Holy Cross Health, please visit our neuroscience page.
 

Quality Cardiac Care

Holy Cross Hospital's survival rate for patients who had an in-hospital cardiac arrest has been among the best in the nation for the past three years (2022, 2023, and 2024). Their survival rate is adjusted for risk, meaning it accounts for how sick the patients were. Factors like age, initial heart rhythm and other health conditions are considered.

In 2024, Holy Cross's survival rate was better than 87% of other hospitals in the American Heart Association's registry. This puts them in the top quintile, meaning their survival rate ranks between 81% to 99% compared to other hospitals. Holy Cross follows evidence-based practices for resuscitation, leading to excellent outcomes.

Areas of improvement to sustain these remarkable outcomes are early defibrillation and airway confirmation through debriefings, mock codes with staff and analyzing reports at the Code Blue Committee meeting.

Awards & Accreditations 

For more information regarding recent awards at Holy Cross Heath, please visit our Awards & Accreditations page.