As I mentioned in a previous post, only one DC-area hospital, Holy Cross, was ranked among the top performing hospitals in the country, in terms of following strict protocols known to improve patient outcomes. The Washington Post wrote about it today.
One of the surprising things about the report, published by the hospital accrediting organization, the Joint Commission, was that John’s Hopkins University hospitals weren’t on the list. Especially because Peter Pronovost, a senior vice president for patient safety and quality at John’s Hospital has been one of the key people in this country prodding hospitals to improve patient safety.
Pronovost told the Post: “To not be listed in the top 405 hospitals, you can imagine, for Johns Hopkins, was quite startling, and we are absolutely redoubling our efforts to make sure we focus on these things.”
Meanwhile, Silver Spring, MD hospital Holy Cross was quite pleased with the survey results. “The fact that we received recognition . . . shows it’s really hard-wired in the organization,” Yancy Phillips, senior vice president for quality and safety, told the Post. “It’s hard work. You have to do it every day. We recognize it’s a challenge for us.”
