I am working on a story for Washingtonian magazine about DC area hospitals and patient safety so I am paying close attention to stories about hospital safety and I was struck by the fact that the Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals in this country, named only one DC-area hospital, Holy Cross Hospital, to its list of top hospitals.
The New York Times has the story here.
The Joint Commission’s list ranked hospitals based on how well they followed specific processes in caring for patients. For example, they looked at whether or not a patient received an antibiotic at the right time before a surgery, or whether or not a catheter was removed from a patient at the correct time. Following these kinds of specific steps in the process of care helps reduce the rate of infections and other complications related to getting care at a hospital.
As Pro Publica’s Charlie Ornstein points out, what the Joint Commission didn’t report, was the worst performing hospitals. The public ought to know the names of these hospitals when trying to decide which one to choose for care.
Here’s where you can find the Joint Commission’s list of top hospitals.
