FMH Earns “Top Performer on Key Quality Measures®” Recognition from The Joint Commission
Farmington, Maine
Franklin Memorial Hospital (FMH) today was named Top Performer on Key Quality Measures® by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in America. FMH was recognized by The Joint Commission for exemplary performance in using evidence-based clinical processes that are shown to improve care for certain conditions. The clinical processes focus on care for heart attack, pneumonia, surgery, children’s asthma, stroke and venous thromboembolism, as well as inpatient psychiatric services. New this year is a category for immunization for pneumonia and influenza.
Franklin Memorial Hospital 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 ratings are based on an aggregation of accountability measure data reported to The Joint Commission during the 2012 calendar year.
FMH was recognized for its achievement on the following measure sets: acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure, pneumonia, outpatient services, and the surgical care improvement project.
FMH 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: examples include giving aspirin at arrival for heart attack patients, giving antibiotics one hour before surgery, or providing a home management plan of care for children with asthma.
“We understand that what matters most to patients is safe, effective care. That’s why FMH has made a commitment to accreditation and to positive patient outcomes through evidence-based care processes. Franklin Memorial is proud to receive the distinction of being a Joint Commission Top Performer on Key Quality Measures,” said Rebecca Arsenault, FMH president and CEO. “This positive affirmation by yet another independent reviewer just one week after the release of our Hospital Safety Score only strengthens our determination to continue our efforts to excel at all levels of our health delivery system.”
“Franklin Memorial Hospital 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, MD, FACP, MPP, MPH, 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.”
In addition to being included in today’s release of The Joint Commission’s “Improving America’s Hospitals” annual report, FMH will be recognized on The Joint Commission’s Quality Check website (www.qualitycheck.org). The Top Performer program will be featured in the December issues of The Joint Commission Perspectives and The Source.