On Wednesday, the Joint Commission announced their annual list of top-performing hospitals and health care facilities and for the second year in a row, Russellville Hospital has finished as a Top Performer.
The report lists Russellville Hospital as a Top Performer in the categories of pneumonia and surgical care.
According to Christine Stewart, CEO of Russellville Hospital, the hospital also exceeded national averages in the care of congestive heart failure and acute myocardial infarction patients but did not have enough cases to qualify for the award in these areas.
“We were so proud to be recognized by The Joint Commission as a Top Performer again for the second year for pneumonia and surgical care,” Stewart said. “This award represents the excellent care provided by our employees and physicians here at Russellville Hospital.”
The Joint Commission, which accredits more than 19,000 health care organizations in the United States, including Russellville Hospital, is the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.
According to Dr. Mark R. Chassin, president of the Joint Commission, only 18 percent of America’s hospitals achieved Top Performer status.
Russellville Hospital was also one of the 244 hospitals out of a total 620 who were recognized as Top Performers for two consecutive years.
According to Chassin, a hospital earning Top Performer status must meet two 95-percent performance thresholds – one for a single, composite score that includes all the accountability measures for which the hospital reports data to The Joint Commission, including measures that had fewer than 30 eligible cases or patients; and the other for every accountability measure for which it reports data, excluding any measures with fewer than 30 eligible cases or patients.
“These hospitals are leading the way in quality improvement, as American hospitals as a whole continue to make strides,” Chassin said in a letter accompanying the report.
“While all hospitals achieving improvements deserve congratulations, those making the list [of Top Performers] have achieved an exemplary level of performance.”