TJC Report: Performance Improvement Continues to Climb

The quality of care in American hospitals continues to improve according to the 2014 annual report released by The Joint Commission. The agency’s report is based on examination of the performance of 46 accountability measures for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgery, children’s asthma, inpatient psychiatric services, venous thromboembolism (VTE), stroke, perinatal care and immunization in more than 3,300 accredited hospitals.

According to the report, 1,224 hospitals, or 36.9 percent of all TJC-accredited hospitals, achieved the ranking of Top Performer on Key Quality Measures®. Each of the hospitals earning this distinction  performed all of the evidence-based practices measured at least 95 percent of the time in 2013.

Overall, hospitals performed the practices identified as being closely linked to positive outcomes, 97.6 percent of the time in 2013. This number represents a 15.8 percent increase since 2002 and a 2.2 percent bump since 2009. While the report confirms that strides are being made in the area of quality performance in American hospitals, it reinforces the fact that opportunity for even more improvement does exist.

To read the press release distributed by TJC and to download the accrediting agency’s 2014 annual report, America’s Hospitals: Improving Quality and Safety, click here.