First TJC recognition program reviewed more than 3,000 hospitals nationwide

Peru, Ind. (Sept. 15, 2011) – Today Dukes Memorial Hospital was named among the nation's top performers on key quality measures by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of healthcare organizations in America. The Joint Commission based this special recognition on data reported about evidence-based clinical processes that are shown to improve care for certain conditions. Those conditions include heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care and children's asthma.

Dukes Memorial Hospital was recognized as one of only 405 U.S. hospitals and critical access hospitals earning the distinction of top performer on key quality measures for attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance. Inclusion on the list is based on an aggregation of accountability measure data reported to The Joint Commission during the previous calendar year. For example, this first recognition program is based on data reported for 2010.

Dukes Memorial Hospital met specific thresholds for these key quality measures:

• Dukes Memorial Hospital - Pneumonia

"Today, the public expects transparency in the reporting of performance at the hospitals where they receive care, and The Joint Commission is shining a light on the top performing hospitals such as the Lutheran Health Network facilities that have achieved excellence on a number of vital measures of quality of care," says Mark R. Chassin, M.D., FACP, M.P.P., M.P.H., president, The Joint Commission.

"Dukes Memorial Hospital understands that what matters most to our patients and community is providing safe, efficient and effective care. That's why we have made a commitment to deliver positive patient experiences and clinical outcomes through evidence-based care processes," says Debra Close, CEO, Dukes Memorial Hospital. "We are proud that our hospital has been named to the list of The Joint Commission's Top Performers on Key Quality Measures. It is all about the patient."

To be recognized as a top performer on key quality measures, an organization must meet two 95 percent performance thresholds. First, they must achieve a composite performance of 95 percent or higher after the results of all the accountability measures reported to The Joint Commission are factored into a single score that includes measures that had less than 30 eligible cases or patients. Second, they must meet or exceed a 95 percent performance target for every single accountability measure for which they report data, excluding any measures with less than 30 eligible cases or patients.

In addition to being included in today's release of The Joint Commission's "Improving America's Hospitals" annual report, each hospital will be recognized on The Joint Commission's Quality Check website Qualitycheck.org.

The Joint Commission will hold a telephone news conference today at noon to discuss its annual report. Media may use the following link to learn how to access this presentation.