20 VA Medical Centers Make The Joint Commission’s Top Performers List

WASHINGTON – Twenty Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers from across the Nation were recognized by The Joint Commission today as Top Performers on Key Quality Measures for 2010.

“We at VA are very pleased with the recognition from The Joint Commission. We are proud of the medical centers that made this list, proving VA’s commitment to performance measures, transparency, and accountability,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “This achievement demonstrates our dedication to being the provider of choice for Veterans.”

While all 152 VA medical centers are accredited by The Joint Commission, today’s list recognizes medical centers that are top performers based on The Joint Commission’s review of evidence-based care processes that are closely linked to positive patient outcomes. The 405 facilities on the list were identified for attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance for the full previous year (2010) and represent approximately 14 percent of The Joint Commission-accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals that report core measure performance data.

Based on performance related to 22 accountability measures for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care, The Joint Commission report singles out hospitals in 45 states. The list of top performing hospitals and the measure set or sets for which each hospital was recognized are available online at www.jointcommission.org/topperformers.

“VA health care has been a leader in performance measurement, electronic health records, research and clinical quality for more than a decade,” said Dr. Robert A. Petzel, VA’s under secretary for health. “I am proud of the staff and I fully expect to see more VA medical centers making this list next year.”

The list of VA Medical Centers on the Top Performers on Key Quality Measures for 2010 includes:

• Phoenix VA Health Care System; Phoenix, Ariz.
• VA Loma Linda Health Care System; Loma Linda, Calif.
• VA San Diego Health Care System; San Diego, Calif.
• Atlanta VA Medical Center; Atlanta, Ga.
• Boise VA Medical Center; Boise, Idaho
• Jesse Brown VA Medical Center; Chicago, Ill.
• Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center; North Chicago, Ill.
• Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center; Wichita, Kan.
• Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center; Iron Mountain, Mich.
• Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center; Saginaw, Mich.
• VA Gulf Coast Federal Health Care System; Biloxi, Miss.
• G.V. Sonny Montgomery VA Medical Center; Jackson, Miss.
• VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System; Reno, Nev.
• VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York; Bath, N.Y.
• Fayetteville VA Medical Center; Fayetteville, N.C.
• James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center; Altoona, Pa.
• Erie VA Medical Center; Erie, Pa.
• William Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center; Columbia, S.C.
• James H. Quillen VA Medical Center; Mountain Home, Tenn.
• William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital; Madison, Wis.