Flowers Named Top Performer by Joint Commision

10/30/2013

Flowers Hospital Named ‘Top Performer on Key Quality Measures®’ by The Joint Commission

(DOTHAN, Alabama, October 30, 2013) – Today, Flowers Hospital was named as one of the nation’s Top Performers on Key Quality Measures® by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of U.S. health care organizations. Flowers Hospital was recognized for exemplary performance in using evidence-based clinical processes that are shown to improve care for certain conditions.

Flowers Hospital is one of 1,099 hospitals earning the distinction of Top Performer on Key Quality Measures® for attaining and sustaining excellence in the following measure set(s): Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Pneumonia and Surgical Care. The ratings are based on an aggregation of accountability measure data reported to The Joint Commission during the 2012 calendar year. This is the second time that Flowers Hospital is being recognized as a Top Performer.

“Receiving this award for a second year clearly demonstrates the unwavering devotion of Flowers Hospital’s 1,300 employees and 300 medical staff physicians who work together to continually improve health care services for the patients we are privileged to serve,” said Suzanne Woods, Chief Executive Officer of Flowers Hospital. “This achievement is the direct result of outstanding physicians and dedicated employees who fulfill our mission of caring for patients as family. Flowers Hospital’s culture of quality improvement reflects our goal to provide every patient with the right health care services every time.”

“The clinicians at Flowers Hospital, as their first priority, strive to provide patients with the highest level of safe and effective quality care to provide the best possible outcomes,” said Dr. Bob Cleveland, Chief of Staff, Flowers Hospital. “To have our standard of care recognized on a national level demonstrates a steadfast commitment to our patients and community.”

Each of the hospitals named Top Performers met three 95 percent performance thresholds. First, the hospital achieved cumulative performance of 95 percent or above across all reported accountability measures. Second, recognized hospitals reached performance of 95 percent or above on every reported accountability measure where there are at least 30 denominator cases. Third, hospitals must have at least one core measure set that has a composite rate of 95 percent or above, and within that measure set, all applicable individual accountability measures have a performance rate of 95 or above.

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.

“Flowers Hospital and all the Top Performer hospitals have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to quality improvement and they should be proud of their achievement,” says Mark R. Chassin, M.D., FACP, M.P.P., M.P.H., President and Chief Executive Officer, The Joint Commission. “We have much to celebrate this year. Nearly half of our accredited hospitals have attained or nearly attained the Top Performer distinction. This truly shows that we are approaching a tipping point in hospital quality performance that will directly contribute to better health outcomes for patients.”

About Flowers Hospital

Flowers Hospital has served the healthcare needs of the Wiregrass for over 60 years. The facility is not only an important resource for the Dothan community, it also serves as a major tertiary referral center for the Tri-State area of south Alabama, southwest Georgia, and northwest Florida. In August 2013, Flowers Hospital was recognized as the number one safest hospital in the state of Alabama by Consumer Reports.

By combining responsible personnel of approximately 1,300 employees, modern equipment and supplies, effective management, sophisticated support services, up-to-date professional education programs, and a staff of over 280 exceptional physicians, Flowers Hospital is able to assure patients of quality healthcare.

For more information please visit www.flowershospital.com.

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