Lehigh Regional Medical
Center Earns Recognition

Lehigh Regional Medical Center was named one of the nation’s Top Performers on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in America. Lehigh Regional was recognized by The Joint Commission for exemplary performance in using evidence-based clinical processes that are shown to improve care for certain conditions, including heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia.

Lehigh Regional is one of 620 hospitals in the U.S. earning the distinction of Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance. Lehigh Regional was recognized for its achievement on the following measure sets: Heart Attack, Heart Failure and Pneumonia. The ratings are based on an aggregation of accountability measure data reported to The Joint Commission during the 2011 calendar year. The list of Top Performers increased by 50 percent from its debut last year and represents 18 percent of accredited hospitals reporting data.

This is the second year in a row that Lehigh Regional Medical Center is being recognized as a Top Performer. Lehigh Regional is one of only 244 hospitals that achieved the distinction two years in a row. Last year, Lehigh Regional was recognized by The Joint Commission for its achievement on the following measure sets Heart Attack, Heart Failure and Pneumonia.

Lehigh Regional is one of 41 hospitals operated by Health Management Associates, Inc. to be named to the Top Performer list. It is also one of 30 Health Management hospitals to be a Top Performer in both years of this recognition program.

Each of the hospitals that were named as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures met two 95 percent performance thresholds on 2011 accountability measure data. First, each hospital achieved performance of 95 percent or above on a single, composite score that includes all the accountability measures for which it reports data to The Joint Commission, including measures that had fewer than 30 eligible cases or patients. Second, each hospital met or exceeded 95 percent performance on every accountability measure for which it reports data to The Joint Commission, excluding any measures with fewer than 30 eligible cases or patients. A 95 percent score means a hospital provided an evidence-based practice 95 times out of 100 opportunities to provide the practice. Each accountability measure represents an evidence-based practice – for example, giving aspirin at arrival for heart attack patients, giving antibiotics one hour before surgery, and providing a home management plan for children with asthma.

“When we raise the bar and provide the proper guidance and tools, hospitals have responded with excellent results,” says Mark R. Chassin, M.D., FACP, M.P.P., M.P.H., president, The Joint Commission.

“We understand that what matters most to patients at Lehigh Regional is safe, effective care. That’s why our hospital has made a commitment to accreditation and to positive patient outcomes through evidence-based care processes. It is all part of our commitment to always strive to put patients first. Lehigh Regional Medical Center is proud to be named to the list of The Joint Commission’s Top Performers on Key Quality Measures,” says Joanie Jeannette, CEO.

In addition to being included in today’s release of The Joint Commission’s “Improving America’s Hospitals” annual report, Lehigh Regional Medical Center will be recognized on The Joint Commission’s Quality Check website (www.qualitycheck.org). The Top Performer program will be featured in the November issue of The Joint Commission Perspectives and the October issue of The Joint Commission: The Source.

Submitted by: LRMC