AHA News reports hospitals have steadily improved the quality of care provided to patients over the past six years, according to The Joint Commission’s latest annual report on hospital care quality. The report (Improving America´s Hospitals: The Joint Commission´s Annual Report on Quality and Safety 2008) tracks how consistently Commission-accredited hospitals perform certain recommended treatments for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical patients, which are based on quality measures publicly reported by the Hospital Quality Alliance. Between 2002 and 2007, the hospitals’ performance on the measures rose to 96% from 86.9% for heart attack care, 88% from 59.7% for heart failure care, and 89% from 72.3% for pneumonia care. The hospitals also showed continual progress on the surgical measures, and most of the hospitals consistently complied with the accreditor’s 2007 National Patient Safety Goal requirements.
Read full report: (Improving America´s Hospitals: The Joint Commission´s Annual Report on Quality and Safety 2008)