NEWS - Health & Hospitals

SBJ Staff Report

Sept 19, 2011 - East Georgia Regional Medical Center today was named one of the nation’s top performers on key quality measures for 2010 by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in America. The thresholds for consistent high levels of care in the areas of Heart Attack (Acute Myocardial Infarction), Congestive Heart Failure, Pneumonia, and Child Asthma Care, were recognized.

The hospital was recognized by The Joint Commission based on data reported about evidence-based clinical procedures that are shown to improve care for certain conditions, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care and children’s asthma.

East Georgia Regional Medical Center is one of only 405 U.S. hospitals and critical access hospitals earning the distinction of top performer on key quality measures for attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance. Inclusion on the list is based on an aggregation of accountability measure data reported to The Joint Commission during the previous calendar year.

To be recognized as a top performer on key quality measures an organization must meet two 95 percent performance thresholds. First it must achieve a composite performance of 95 percent or above after the results of all the accountability measures for which it reports data to The Joint Commission were factored into a single score, including measures that had less than 30 eligible cases or patients. Second it must meet or exceed a 95 percent performance target for every single accountability measure for which it reports data, excluding any measures with less than 30 eligible cases or patients.

“Today, the public expects transparency in the reporting of performance at the hospitals where they receive care, and The Joint Commission is shining a light on the top performing hospitals such as East Georgia Regional Medical Center that have achieved excellence on a number of vital measures of quality of care,” according to Mark R. Chassin, M.D., FACP, M.P.P., M.P.H., President of The Joint Commission.

“We understand that what matters most to our patients at East Georgia Regional Medical Center is safe, effective care,” said Bob Bigley, CEO. “That’s why East Georgia Regional Medical Center has made a commitment to accreditation and to positive patient outcomes through evidence-based care processes. East Georgia Regional Medical Center is proud to be named to the list of The Joint Commission’s Top Performers on Key Quality Measures,” Bigley said.

In addition to being included in today’s press release of The Joint Commission’s “Improving America’s Hospitals” annual report, http://www.jointcommission.org/annualreport, East Georgia Regional Medical Center will be recognized on The Joint Commission’s Quality Check website (www.qualitycheck.org).