A Guide to Your Visit at an Albany Med Health System Hospital
Your wellbeing is our highest priority, and everyone involved in your care will work to make sure that you receive the attention, support, and compassion that you deserve.
We hope this information answers some of the questions you may have about your stay with us. If you need additional assistance, we encourage you to talk to your nurse or physician. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions or express concerns. Your input and feedback play an important role in our commitment to continuous improvement.
The patient guides to Albany Med Health System campuses can be found here:
Albany Medical Center Patient Guide
Columbia Memorial Health Patient Guide
"Quality is defined as the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge." - Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, Institute of Medicine, Crossing the Quality Chasm, 2001
Albany Medical Center is committed to providing safe, quality care to our community with a goal of achieving zero preventable harm through attaining the highest standard of quality in care delivery, education, and research initiatives. We use a multidisciplinary, systematic approach to performance management and patient safety to improve patient health outcomes and enhance safety for our community, patients, visitors, volunteers, and staff. There are many Quality Improvement Teams and Clinical Performance Committees throughout the hospital that address barriers and monitor clinical quality indicators to ensure patient safety, improve patient care, and help us meet our goals.
Albany Medical Center focuses on many areas of quality and performance improvement. Among these are quality metrics for our pediatric patients:
| Measure | Metric | National Benchmark |
| Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection | Performing better than benchmark | 0.199 |
| Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection | Performing better than benchmark | 1.204 |
| Pressure Injury- stage 3 and higher | Performing worse than benchmark | 0.101 |
*Source: Solutions for Patient Safety
To view more about Albany Medical Center’s quality performance, visit publicly available information compiled by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit that rates U.S. hospitals and surgery centers on patient safety and quality.
In order to achieve our goals, Albany Medical Center relies on patient engagement to improve. By focusing on what matters to patients and partnering with their families, we ensure a safe, high-quality experience. This commitment drives patient satisfaction and fosters long-term, trusting relationships between patients, providers, and our organization. Here are several ways that patients are helping us improve:
Signing up for Albany Medical Center’s My Chart allows patients to participate in their care and communicate with their care team.
The Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACS) is a group of current and former patients, family members, and caregivers that work together to advance best practices and guidance on how to improve the patient and family experience. Including our current and former patients allows us to better identify the needs of our community so that we can improve the safety and quality of care we are delivering. We currently have PFACS for The Birth Place, children’s hospital, and for older adults.
The Patient Relations office provides information and education on patient rights to patients, family members, visitors, and staff. They can address any concerns or complaints regarding your care.
Other care quality improvement efforts at Albany Medical Center include our Mobility Campaign, Ask me Campaign, and our Handwashing Improvement Initiative.
Albany Medical Center regularly recognizes exceptional patient care amongst our nursing and support staff. Awards we give out on a monthly and yearly basis include the DAISY Award, I Care Award, Safety Hero Award and Quality Leader Award, among others.
"Quality is defined as the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge." - Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, Institute of Medicine, Crossing the Quality Chasm, 2001
Columbia Memorial Health is committed to providing safe, quality care to our community with a goal of achieving zero preventable harm through attaining the highest standard of quality in care delivery, education, and research initiatives. We use a multidisciplinary, systematic approach to performance management and patient safety to improve patient health outcomes and enhance safety for our community, patients, visitors, volunteers, and staff. There are many Quality Improvement Teams and Clinical Performance Committees throughout the hospital that address barriers and monitor clinical quality indicators to ensure patient safety, improve patient care, and help us meet our goals.
Columbia Memorial Health focuses on many areas of quality and performance improvement. Among these are quality metrics focused on reducing hospital acquired infections:
| Measure | Metric | National Benchmark |
| Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection | No different than national benchmark | 1.000 |
| Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection | No different than national benchmark | 1.000 |
| Complication rate for hip/knee replacements | No difference than the national rate | 3.6% |
*Source: Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
To view more about Columbia Memorial Health’s quality performance, visit publicly available information compiled by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit that rates U.S. hospitals and surgery centers on patient safety and quality.
In order to achieve our goals, Columbia Memorial Health relies on patient engagement to improve. By focusing on what matters to patients and partnering with their families, we ensure a safe, high-quality experience. This commitment drives patient satisfaction and fosters long-term, trusting relationships between patients, providers, and our organization. Here are several ways that patients are helping us improve:
Signing up for My Chart allows patients to participate in their care and communicate with their care team.
The Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACS) is a group of current and former patients, family members, and caregivers that work together to advance best practices and guidance on how to improve the patient and family experience. Including our current and former patients allows us to better identify the needs of our community so that we can improve the safety and quality of care we are delivering.
The Patient Relations Office provides information and education on patient rights to patients, family members, visitors, and staff. They can address any concerns or complaints regarding your care.
Other care quality improvement efforts at Columbia Memorial Health include our Age-Friendly Program, Primary Stroke Center Designation, and recognized for Patient Centered Medical Homes.
Columbia Memorial Health regularly recognizes exceptional patient care amongst our nursing and support staff. Awards we give out include the DAISY Award, Good Catch Award, BEE Award and Physician Recognitions, among others.
"Quality is defined as the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge." - Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, Institute of Medicine, Crossing the Quality Chasm, 2001
Glens Falls Hospital is committed to providing safe, quality care to our community with a goal of achieving zero preventable harm through attaining the highest standard of quality in care delivery, education, and research initiatives. We use a multidisciplinary, systematic approach to performance management and patient safety to improve patient health outcomes and enhance safety for our community, patients, visitors, volunteers, and staff. There are numerous interdisciplinary Quality Improvement Teams and Clinical Performance Committees throughout the hospital that address barriers and monitor clinical quality indicators to ensure patient safety, improve patient care, and help us meet our goals.
Glens Falls Hospital focuses on many areas of quality and performance improvement. Among these are:
| Measure | Metric | National Benchmark |
| CAUTI | No different than national benchmark | 1.0 |
| CLABSI | No different than national benchmark | 1.0 |
| CDiff | Better than national benchmark | 1.0 |
| Readmissions - hospital-wide | No different than national benchmark | 15% |
*Source: Care Compare website
More information about Glens Falls Hospital’s quality performance is available at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and at the Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit that rates U.S. hospitals and surgery centers on patient safety and quality.
In order to achieve our goals, Glens Falls Hospital relies on patient engagement to improve. By focusing on what matters to patients and partnering with their families, we ensure a safe, high-quality experience. This commitment drives patient satisfaction and fosters long-term, trusting relationships between patients, providers, and our organization. Here are several ways that patients are helping us improve:
Signing up for Glens Falls Hospital’s My Chart allows patients to participate in their care and communicate with their care team.
The Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) is a group of current and former patients, family members, and caregivers that work together to advance best practices and guidance on how to improve the patient and family experience. Including our current and former patients allows us to better identify the needs of our community so that we can improve the safety and quality of care we are delivering.
The Patient Experience Office provides information and education on patient rights to patients, family members, visitors, and staff. They can address any concerns or complaints regarding your care.
Other care quality improvement efforts at Glens Falls Hospital include our Age-Friendly Health System and our Handwashing Improvement Initiative.
Voicing Your Concerns
For issues that you believe may represent acts of non-compliance such as fraudulent of abusive billing practices or possible violations of federal or state laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), you may contact Albany Medical Health System's Corporate Compliance Hotline at 518-264-TIPP (8477).
If you or a family member have a complaint that cannot be resolved by our clinical staff, contact Patient Relations (please choose the hospital you received care at).
You can also contact DNV, a national organization that accredits hospitals based on their compliance with nationally established standards, or New York State Department of Health.
DNV Healthcare USA Inc.
Attn: Healthcare Complaints
4435 Aicholtz Road
Suite 900
Cincinnati, OH 45245
866-496‐9647
DNV Patient Complaint Form
New State Department of Health
Centralized Hospital Intake Program, Mailstop: CA/DCS
Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12237
1-800-804-5447
If you have a matter that involves fraud, waste, abuse or compliance, please call our compliance hotline at 800-975-9427. You may also contact:
Federal Department of Health & Human Services
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Office of Inspector General
Attn: OIG Hotline Operations
P.O. Box 23489
Washington, D.C. 20026
Hotline: 800-447-8477
TTY: 800-377-4950
Fax: 800-223-8164
http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud
Office of Medicaid Inspector General
NYS OMIG Bureau of Medicaid Fraud Allegations
800 N. Pearl Street
Albany, N.Y. 12204
Phone: 877-873-7283
Fax: 518-408-0480
[email protected]
