Joint Commission Report Shows Gains in Safet...(received accreditation surveys during 20...),Health

Even with the improvements of the past six years, the report makes clear that more improvement is still needed. For example, treatments were still not being performed consistently in 2007 on some measures introduced in 2002:

• Discharge instructions for heart failure patients - only 27.5 percent of hospitals achieved 90 percent compliance
• Pneumococcal screening for pneumonia patients - only 38.6 percent of hospitals achieved 90 percent compliance
• ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitor or ARB (angiotensin receptor blocker) prescribed at discharge for heart failure patients - only 57.7 percent of hospitals achieved 90 percent compliance
• ACE inhibitor or ARB prescribed at discharge for heart attack patients - only 68.8 percent of hospitals achieved 90 percent compliance

The Joint Commission issues this report as part of its ongoing efforts to emphasize the importance of accountability and continuous improvement for hospitals, and to empower consumers with information that will make them more active participants in their health care. Hospital-specific performance on specific measures for Joint Commission accredited organizations can be found on Quality Check(R) at www.qualitycheck.org.

For a complete copy of the reportplease visit www.jointcommissionreport.org.

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of
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