ValleyCare Health System Earns "Top Performance on Key Quality Measures®” From The Joint Commission

          ValleyCare Health Sytem today was named Top Performer on Key Quality Measures® by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in America.

           ValleyCare was recognized by The Joint Commission for exemplary performance in using evidence-based clinical processes that are shown to improve care for certain conditions, and is one of 1,099 hospitals in the U.S.earning the distinction of Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance.

           The conditions for which ValleyCare was recognized include:  heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. The ratings are based on an aggregation of accountability measure data reported to The Joint Commission during the 2012 calendar year.  

            ValleyCare Health System and each of the hospitals that were named as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures must: 1) achieve cumulative performance of 95 percent or above across all reported accountability measures; 2) achieve performance of 95 percent or above on each and every reported accountability measure where there are at least 30 denominator cases; and 3) have at least one core measure set that has a composite rate of 95 percent or above, and within that measure set all applicable individual accountability measures, have a performance rate of 95 percent or above. A 95 percent score means a hospital provided an evidence-based practice 95 times out of 100 opportunities. Each accountability measure represents an evidence-based practice – for example: giving aspirin at arrival for heart attack patients or giving antibiotics one hour before surgery.

            “We understand that what matters most to our patients is safe, effective care. That’s why at ValleyCare, we have made a commitment to accreditation and to positive patient outcomes through evidence-based care processes. ValleyCare is proud to receive the distinction of being a Joint Commission Top Performer on Key Quality Measures,” says Marcy Feit, ValleyCare CEO.  

            “ValleyCare Health System and all the Top Performer hospitals have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to quality improvement and they should be proud of their achievement,” says Mark R. Chassin, M.D., FACP, M.P.P., M.P.H., president and chief executive officer, The Joint Commission. “We have much to celebrate this year. Nearly half of our accredited hospitals have attained or nearly attained the Top Performer distinction. This truly shows that we are approaching a tipping point in hospital quality performance that will directly contribute to better health outcomes for patients.”