Quality and Outcomes

At Cooper University Health Care, physicians, nurses, hospital leaders and support staff work together to provide you and your loved ones with the best care possible. 

Cooper has a dedicated RN staff that closely monitors the indicators that identify the quality of medical care provided to our patients. This staff collect, analyze and report patient care outcomes that are indicative of quality, while working closely with our board-certified physician leadership to achieve continuous improvement in patient care. Outcomes are reviewed by multi-disciplinary, clinical teams on a monthly basis, striving for zero percent preventable harm. In addition, physicians, leaders and staff compare monthly adherence to evidence-based protocols to goals set at 100 percent.

Much of the quality data collected is reported to and monitored by official agencies such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), The Joint Commission and the New Jersey Department of Health. This data is made public on the internet and in the media. Nationally accepted indicators for quality of patient care are listed below. 

CMS Quality Measures

In addition to providing an overall star rating and patient survey rating, CMS also reports on quality measures that show how often hospitals provide care that research shows gets the best results for patients with certain conditions. Data on these measures can help you compare which hospitals give recommended care most often as part of the overall care they provide to patients:

  • Timely and effective care
  • Complications and deaths
  • Unplanned hospital visits
  • Psychiatric unit services
  • Payment and value of care

See how Cooper performed against these measures on Hospital Compare.

Stroke Care

The Comprehensive Stroke Program at Cooper University Health Care provides quality complex medical, interventional, and surgical stroke care to the entire South Jersey region. Use the link below to see how Cooper compares to other health care organizations across the country.

Heart Care

The Cooper Heart Institute provides high-quality care for patients with heart disease and those who need heart surgery. Use the links below to see how Cooper compares to other health care organizations across the country.

See how Cooper performs in the Society for Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Adult Cardiac Surgery Database.

Details on STS public reporting are available on their website.

Oncology Care

MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper brings together southern New Jersey’s leading cancer program and the nation’s leading cancer center in a partnership that opens up a broader range of options for our cancer patients, including MD Anderson’s proven treatment approach, access to more clinical trials, collaboration by national and regional cancer specialists, and customized treatment plans.

See how MD Anderson at Cooper performs against the Commission on Cancer quality standards and against performance benchmarks set by our partner institution, MD Anderson Cancer Center. The Commission on Cancer (CoC) is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education, and the monitoring of comprehensive quality of care. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is one of the world’s most respected centers devoted exclusively to cancer patient care, research, education, and prevention.

Readmissions, Complications and Deaths

Patients who are admitted to the hospital for treatment of medical problems sometimes get other serious injuries, complications or conditions, and may even die. Some patients may experience problems soon after they are discharged and need to be admitted to the hospital again. These events can often be prevented if hospitals follow best practices for treating patients. Data on the following measures can help you compare which hospitals follow best practices most often as part of the overall care they provide to patients.

  • 30-Day Outcomes: Unplanned Readmission and Death Rate
  • Surgical Complications
  • Healthcare-Associated Infections

See how Cooper performed against these measures on Hospital Compare.

Commitment to High-Quality Care

There are a number of elements that establish Cooper University Health Care’s commitment to the provision of high quality medical care, including:

  • Our mission "to serve, to heal, to educate." A strong statement that fully supports a commitment to the provision of quality care to our patients, their families and our community.
  • Accreditation by The Joint Commission of Cooper University Health Care’s hospital, clinics and ambulatory/outpatient health care programs. The Joint Commission is the nation’s largest regulatory health care organization. Joint Commission accreditation is recognized at the national and federal levels and signifies the organization’s strong commitment to adherence to quality performance standards.
  • World-renowned, board-certified physicians who demonstrate experience and expertise in specialty medicine. To become board certified, the physician must have practiced for a designated time period, after which they must pass a rigorous exam. Cooper has more than 600 employed physicians on its medical staff, all of whom are board certified or board eligible in their specialties. Some hold multiple certifications. Many Cooper physicians are national and international experts in their fields, and routinely are named "Top Doctors" in national and regional media.
  • Experience in the practice of medicine translates into improved outcomes for patients, according to numerous research studies. As a regional referral center for cardiac patients, trauma patients and critically ill patients, Cooper University Health Care physicians and staff have the most experience in caring for the sickest patients in the South Jersey region. 
  • Advanced technology that brings makes treatment safer, easier and faster, including:
    • 12 technologically advanced operating room suites with hybrid imaging capabilities.
    • An advanced laboratory automation facility.
    • Autonomous CT scanning technology in the Emergency Department.
    • Intensive care unit with five negative-pressure isolation rooms and five rooms with chambered isolation alcoves.
    • MR Linac and Gamma Knife technologies for non-invasive treatment of cancers and brain tumors.
    • The latest cardiac and vascular technologies, including new-generation internal defibrillators, stents, and aneurysm sealing systems.
    • An electronic medical record (EMR) that has achieved a Stage 6 designation from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society for progress and impact of its implementation. Only 12.5 percent of more than 5,400 US hospitals traced by HIMSS Analytics have reached Stage 6.
  • State-of-the-art facilities for patient care. Cooper University Health Care is committed to providing our patients with the most up-to-date treatment areas that will promote healing and enhance the experience of patients and their families. Some of these facilities include:
    • MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, a $100 million, four-story, 103,050-square-foot center dedicated to cancer prevention, detection, treatment and research. MD Anderson Cooper offers South Jersey’s only dedicated inpatient, 30-bed cancer unit adjacent to the new cancer center at Cooper University Hospital. 
    • Cooper's 312,000 square foot, 10-story Roberts Pavilion, which houses state-of-the-art patient care facilities, including 120 private patient rooms, a 30-bed medical/surgical intensive care unit and a 14,000-square-foot Emergency Department. The Pavilion features an expansive lobby and concourse, a restaurant and coffee shop, health resource center, business center, gift shop and chapel. 
    • Two new floors in the Roberts Pavilion, each with 30 private patient rooms, that are designed to serve advanced-care surgery patients and hospitalized heart patients, plus ongoing renovation of existing facilites to accommodate more private beds.
    • The Ripa Center for Women's Health and Wellness, which provides access to world-class doctors, unique educational programs, convenient fitness classes and wellness guidance from recognized leaders in a serene, spa-like setting in the suburbs.
    • The Digestive Health Institute, South Jersey’s largest free-standing endoscopic center, providing a full range of gastrointestinal services with satellite offices throughout the region.
    • Three regional Urgent Care Centers staffed by emergency medicine physicians.