LINKS

[] [] [] The mission of **The Joint Commission** is to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. This site contains a wealth of standards and measurements, as well as national patient safety goals.  [|www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov] **Free hospital comparisons** based on surveys of patient experience with key aspects of care, such as quality of communication, pain control, cleanliness, and discharge planning. Comparisons include the volume of certain procedures, deaths and readmission rates, and how often hospitals provide care known to achieve good results, such as prevention of surgical infections and use of beta-blockers to prevent repeat heart attacks. [|www.whynotthebest.org] Free **performance data** on hospitals nationwide from a private foundation. Users can search for hospitals by state, county, ownership, site or hospital type. The site incorporates Medicare’s patient survey and hospital quality measures. It also provides an “overall quality measure.” Users can compare hospital quality scores against national and state benchmarks
 * Quality Insights of Delaware** is a Medicare Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs). It contracts with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and partners with and serves as a resource to health care providers and community organizations. Together, the goal is to protect the rights and improve the health of Medicare consumers.
 * Oncology Nursing Society** is a resource for oncology nurses to help them keep up with the rapidly changing and vast array of chemotherapy regimens, treatment guidelines, oncologic emergencies, and patient care issues. This site contains best practice standards and is an important resource for nurses providing oncology care.