The second annual Joint Commission report on “Top Performers on Key Quality Measures” has given six Valley-area hospitals high marks for their strict adherence to medical protocol. The list includes 620 hospitals nationally, each of which had reported composite accountability rates of 95 percent or better and a 95 percent performance target for every accountability measure that it reported to the Commission. The six area hospitals included are: Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank; Encino Hospital Medical Center in Encino; Providence Holy Cross in Mission Hills; Kaiser Foundation Hospital’s Panorama Medical Center in Panorama City; Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks; and Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Woodland Hills. “What this means is that every patient at these three Providence ministries is being treated according to a set of core measures that have proven to save lives,” said Michael Hunn, senior vice president and chief executive of Providence Health & Services, Southern California, in a prepared statement. “This sounds simple, but it takes great knowledge, dedication and teamwork by our physicians, nurses and other clinicians, often in situations where seconds count.” In addition to its two local hospitals on the list, Providence’s Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance was also recognized. The Commission is a nonprofit that accredits and evaluates the nation’s hospitals and home care organizations. Hospitals have been reporting data to the group since 2002. “The Joint Commission began releasing this information as a way to shine a light on and encourage excellence on accountability measures. The significant increase in the number of hospitals achieving Top Performers status demonstrates that these organizations are intently focused on delivering high quality care within their communities,” said Mark R. Chassin, president of the Joint Commission, in a statement. The report does not take into account patient outcome, as other reports do, but, according to the Commission, the 45 accountability measures of evidence-based care processes are closely linked to that standard. Kelly Goff
