Quality and Safe Healthcare

Understand Quality and Safe Healthcare

What is this service?

Smart Health Decisions offers consumers the opportunity to learn more about healthcare quality and safety issues in general, and especially those most relevant to their unique medical situation.  We help familiarize you with disease-specific quality and safety standards, teach you about what to look for in clinical encounters, and offer practical tips about how to advocate for your own high quality and safe care.  We offer you an objective, unbiased and confidential place to go when you have a question or concern about the quality or safety of care you have received.

Smart Health Decisions does not provide medical care.  We are not a substitute for your provider.  Our services are designed to help you make your healthcare experience better and more effective. 

How do consumers benefit from this service?

Healthcare research is full of studies showing the quality of care and patient safety vary significantly among healthcare providers, putting individuals at risk of injury and death.  Mistakes happen even in the highest performing facilities. Therefore, the average consumer, though not a clinical expert, needs to know enough about quality and safety to make sure they and their loved ones receive good safe care.  And consumers need to have the confidence to speak up promptly about any clinical quality or safety concerns they might have.  Healthcare quality and safety improves when consumers and providers work together. 

When should consumers use this service?

All consumers of healthcare are better able to protect themselves and their family members from the risks associated with poor quality and unsafe care if they have a practical, working knowledge about quality and safety before they use healthcare services.  It is especially important for those frequently using healthcare services and those preparing for hospitalization.

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