Although the Joint Commission's top-performers list honored 405 hospitals for successfully delivering evidence-based care, it also served as a warning to larger hospitals and academic medical centers, which noteably failed to make the list.
For example, some of the most renowned hospitals across the nation, including the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Geisinger Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University, New York Presbyterian Hospital, and Massachusetts General, were absent.
Why weren't these prominent hospitals on the list? Their 2010 compliance scores didn't hit the mark, according to Joint Commission President Dr. Mark R. Chassin, who told reporters, "I would suggest asking the hospital that thinks [it] should have been on [the Joint Commission's] list why they think they're not on the list," notes HealthLeaders Media.
Instead, the Joint Commission's top performers included a large number of small and rural hospitals and 20 Veterans Affairs medical centers that each earned at least a 95 percent score for compliance with treatment standards, reports the New York Times.
Larger hospitals and teaching hospitals defended their delivery of care, noting they deal with higher volumes of--and oftentimes sicker--patients. Such a busy environment can make it more difficult to achieve 100 percent compliance, notes the Times.
Nevertheless, Chassin said the Joint Commission's list should be "a wake-up call to larger hospitals to put more resources into these programs, and recognition that small, rural and community hospitals can do an excellent job."
The list also adds to the rising doubt surrounding "best hospital" rankings, as they are often misleading and incomplete. And not a single medical center listed in U.S. News & World Report's "Best Hospitals Honor Roll" was among the Joint Commission's 405 top performers, leading skeptics to question what factors should be included when rating hospitals.
For more information:
- check out the Honor Roll list
- read the HealthLeaders Media article
- here's the New York Times article
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