NEW: Memorial Hospital of RI Earns ‘Top Performer’ Recognition

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

GoLocalProv Health Team

Founded in 1894, Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island is a 294-bed facility that serves the Blackstone Valley of Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts.

Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island today was named a 2013 Top Performer on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in America. The recognition was due to exemplary performance in using evidence-based clinical processes shown to improve care for certain conditions, including heart attack, pneumonia, surgery, children’s asthma, stroke and venous thromboembolism, and immunization for pneumonia and influenza.

The distinction of Top Performer on Key Quality Measures is awarded to hospitals attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance. This year, the distinction was only awarded to the top 33% of all Joint Commission-accredited hospitals reporting accountability measure performance data for 2012.

It is the first time Memorial earned the distinction, which was awarded in recognition of its achievement in the following areas:

Heart attack
Heart failure
Pneumonia
Surgical care

“We understand that what matters most to patients here at Memorial is safe, effective care,” says Edward Schottland, acting president of the hospital. “That is why we have made a commitment to accreditation and to positive patient outcomes through evidence-based processes. The distinction of being a Joint Commission Top Performer on Key Quality Measures demonstrates that we are seeing success.”

Memorial and each of the hospitals named a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures must:

Achieve cumulative performance of 95% or above across all reported accountability measures
Achieve performance of 95% or above on each and every reported accountability measure where there at least 30 denominator cases
Have at least one core measure set that has a composite rate of 95% or above, and within that measure set all applicable individual accountability measures have a performance rate of 95% or above

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“A 95% score means we provided an evidence-based practice 95 times out of 100 opportunities,” explained Nancy Rooney, MBA, RN, CPHQ, director of Quality and Patient Safety at Memorial. “Each accountability measure represents an evidence-based practice such as giving aspirin when a heart attack patient arrives in the emergency room, giving antibiotics one hour before surgery, or giving a home management plan of care for children with asthma.”

Memorial will also be recognized in The Joint Commission’s Improving America’s Hospitals annual report, released today, and on its Quality Check website at qualitycheck.org.

“Memorial Hospital and all the Top Performer hospitals have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to quality improvement and they should be proud of their achievement,” said Mark R. Chassin, MD, FACP, MPP, MPH, president and executive officer of The Joint Commission.

About Memorial Hospital

Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, a Care New England hospital, is a 294-bed teaching center affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Memorial is the chief site for the medical school’s primary care academic program. Research focuses on primary care and disease prevention, including osteoarthritis, heart disease, cancer, pulmonary function, maternal and child health and women’s health issues. Memorial provides a full spectrum of health services for the people of Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. Services include oncology, cardiovascular, rehabilitation, pain management, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, 24-hour intensive care specialist coverage and diagnostics. Memorial offers primary care services in Pawtucket, Central Falls and Plainville, Massachusetts, an adult day center, and home care program to provide a seamless system of medical care.

Related Slideshow: Rhode Island Non-Profit Hospital CEO Pay: Least To Most

Here are the total annual compensation amounts for the CEOs of the eight non-profit hospital groups in Rhode Island. The source is each hospital group’s latest available 990 Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, which is filed with the IRS and available at Guidestar.org. The CEOs are shown here, from lowest to highest total compensation.