McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center Earns 'Top Performer on Key Quality Measures™' Recognition from The Joint Commission

McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center was named one of the nation's Top Performers on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in America. The hospital was recognized by The Joint Commission for exemplary performance in using evidence-based clinical processes that are shown to improve care for certain conditions, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care.

This is the second year in a row McKenzie-Willamette is being recognized as a Top Performer. McKenzie-Willamette is one of only 244 hospitals that achieved the distinction two years in a row and the only hospital in Oregon to be recognized for its achievement in four measure sets two years in a row. McKenzie-Willamette was recognized by The Joint Commission for its achievement on the following measure sets: heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care.

McKenzie-Willamette is one of 620 hospitals in the U.S. earning the distinction of Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance in 2011. The ratings are based on an aggregation of accountability measure data reported to The Joint Commission during the 2011 calendar year. The list of Top Performers represents 18 percent of more than 3,400 eligible accredited hospitals reporting data.

Each of the hospitals named as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures met two 95 percent performance thresholds. First, the hospital achieved performance of 95 percent or above on the composite score that includes all the accountability measures for which it reported data to The Joint Commission for calendar year 2011. Second, recognized hospitals met or exceeded a 95 percent performance target for each and every accountability measure for which they reported data to The Joint Commission, excluding any measures with fewer than 30 eligible cases.

A 95 percent score means a hospital provided an evidence-based practice 95 times out of 100 opportunities to provide the practice.

Each accountability measure represents an evidence-based practice -- for example, giving aspirin at arrival for heart attack patients, giving antibiotics one hour before surgery, and providing a home management plan for children with asthma.

"When we raise the bar and provide the proper guidance and tools, hospitals have responded with excellent results," said Mark R. Chassin, M.D., FACP, M.P.P., M.P.H., president, The Joint Commission. "This capacity for continual improvement points toward a future in which quality and safety defects are dramatically reduced and high reliability is sought and achieved with regularity. Such day-to-day progress will slowly but surely transform today's health care system into one that achieves unprecedented performance outcomes for the benefit of the patients."

"We understand that what matters most to patients at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center is safe, effective care. That's why McKenzie-Willamette has made a commitment to accreditation and to positive patient outcomes through evidence-based processes. McKenzie-Willamette is proud to be named to the list of The Joint Commission's Top Performers on Key Quality Measures," said Maurine Cate, CEO, McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center.