Here is some of our most recent data documenting quality measures in our hip and knees program at Hartford Hospital.

These are so-called "core measures" collected from October 2007 to July 2008. Core measures are benchmarks of care established by the federal government that allow consumers to compare quality from one institution to another. The percentage listed under "Hartford Hospital" is the percent of the time the measure has been met in appropriate circumstances. In this chart, "abx" means antibiotic. A "prophylactic" medication is one that is given to prevent a possible problem. Antiobiotics are given prior to surgery to reduce the risk of infection during hip and knee procedures. They are discontinued within 24 hours after surgery to prevent the overuse of antibiotics. Venous thromboembolism drugs also are given as a preventive measure in some patients.