Joint Commission data show hospital performance improvement

The collective performance of U.S. hospitals on individual accountability measures is on the rise, according to a new report by The Joint Commission.

Data on core accountability measures was collected from more than 3,300 Joint Commission-accredited hospitals in 2013. Hospitals showed improved care rates for pneumonia, children’s asthma, surgical care, heart failure and other common conditions, according to the report.

Almost 40% of all hospitals reporting data received “Top Performer” status, having achieved a cumulative performance of 95% or above across all reported accountability measures, a 95% or greater performance on measures with at least 30 denominator cases, and at least one core measure set with a 95% or greater composite rate.

“America’s hospitals continue to make dramatic strides toward becoming more reliable and we continue to encourage them to do so,” said Mark R. Chassin, M.D., FACP, M.P.P., M.P.H., president and chief executive officer of The Joint Commission. “Each year, the quality standards’ bar has been raised and hospitals have responded to the challenge.”

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Effective Jan. 1, 2014, the core measure data sets will increase from four to six, a move that will help hospitals monitor and improve performance in more clinical conditions and patient populations, according to the report.

The Joint Commission, founded in 1951, is the country’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare. It accredits and certifies more than 20,500 healthcare organizations in the U.S. including hospitals, ambulatory, home care, laboratory, and nursing home services.