New Report Portrays Patient Safety, Health Care Quality Performance of U.S. Hospitals

Hospitals across the United States have significantly improved the quality of care provided for patients suffering from heart attacks, heart failure, or pneumonia over the past four years, according to a new report from the Joint Commission. The Joint Commission is a non-government organization that accredits US hospitals.

The report details the performance of accredited hospitals against standardized national performance measures and the Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals.

"Improving America's Hospitals: A Report on Quality and Safety" also shows, however, that the effectiveness with which hospitals carry out safe practices and provide patients proven treatments for common clinical conditions varies by state.

These variations spotlight clear opportunities for hospitals to strengthen their efforts in delivering safe, effective care. For example, the Joint Commission report found that almost all heart attack patients are receiving the life-saving benefits of aspirin when they arrive at the hospital, yet many heart failure patients do not receive specific discharge instructions about their condition and necessary follow-up care when they leave the hospital. Hospital performance in complying with National Patient Safety Goal requirements has also been variable. Most hospitals do well in using objective methods to identify patients before undertaking treatments, but many are finding it challengingto put processes in place to avoid medication mix-ups.

The Joint Commission is issuing this detailed report as part of itsongoing efforts to stimulate continuous quality and safety improvement andto empower consumers with information that will make them more activeparticipants in their health care. This report, which is the first of whatis to become an annual report, covers the time period from 2002 through 2005.

"The real and potential improvements in patient safety and health care quality identified in this report underscore the value of ongoing measurement of hospital performance against standards and performance measures," says Dennis O'Leary, M.D., president, the Joint Commission."This is the kind of information that will truly create informed consumers who can ask good questions about their care and even become involved in hospital performance improvement processes."


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