Brandywine Hospital named ‘top performer’

 High ratings from accrediting agency attributed to superior staff

The leading accreditor of U.S. health care organizations has recognized Brandywine Hospital for exemplary performance, a Brandywine Hospital news release said.

The Joint Commission named the hospital one of the nation’s “Top Performers on Key Quality Measures,” one of 1,099 hospitals earning the distinction 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, the release said.

“Brandywine Hospital’s first priority is providing patients with high quality, safe and effective care through proven practices that improve outcomes and the patient experience. We are proud to be named to The Joint Commission’s list of Top Performers,“  said Bryan Burklow,  Brandywine Hospital’s chief executive officer. “The credit goes to our medical staff, employees and volunteers whose hard work every day makes this possible.”

Dr. Kenneth Doroski, Brandywine’s chief of staff, echoed praise of the staff.  “It’s an honor to have the standard of care we provide here recognized on a national level,” Doroski said.

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, the release said.

“Brandywine Hospital and all the ‘Top Performer’ hospitals have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to quality improvement and they should be proud of their achievement,” said Dr. Mark R. Chassin, president and chief executive officer of 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.”

Brandywine Hospital is a 169-licensed-bed, private-room, acute-care medical facility that has provided a continuum of care to the community for over 100 years. Key services include cardiology, emergency medicine, orthopaedics, bariatric surgery, behavioral health, robotic surgery, specialized eating disorders unit and wound care. Located on the U.S. 30 Bypass between Downingtown and Parkesburg, Brandywine Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission. For more information, visit BrandywineHospital.com.