Ten Southern California Kaiser Permanente Hospitals Named Top Performers on Key Quality Measures for Care and Safety

PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ten Southern California Kaiser Permanente hospitals have been named by The Joint Commission today as 2011 Top Performers on Key Quality Measures™. Top Performers are recognized for achieving excellence in performance on The Joint Commission’s accountability measures, placing them in the top 18 percent of hospitals in the United States for care and safety.

“Being named a Top Performer hospital on key quality measures confirms that, with our integrated health care model, electronic medical record system, and the dedication of our entire health care team, we are consistently delivering high quality care to our members. We are honored to be so recognized.”

The Kaiser Permanente Southern California hospitals that will be included in The Joint Commission’s “Improving America’s Hospitals” 2012 annual report are the medical centers in Downey, Fontana, Los Angeles, Orange (Anaheim and Irvine), Riverside, San Diego, and for the second year, Woodland Hills, Panorama City, and South Bay.

In order to earn this Top Performers accolade, hospitals must have attained and sustained excellence in accountability measures in 2011 that include surgical care, venous thromboembolism and stroke care. Out of the 3,376 eligible hospitals submitting accountability measure data to The Joint Commission, only 620 met or exceeded the target rates of performance for 2011.

“We understand that what matters most to patients at Kaiser Permanente is safe, effective care and services,” says Patti Harvey, senior vice president of quality and risk management, patient care services, clinical operations support for Southern California Kaiser Permanente. “Being named a Top Performer hospital on key quality measures confirms that, with our integrated health care model, electronic medical record system, and the dedication of our entire health care team, we are consistently delivering high quality care to our members. We are honored to be so recognized.”

Kaiser Permanente’s performance doubled the number of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals on the list from 10 in 2011 to 20 facilities in 2012. In addition to the 10 Kaiser Permanente Southern California hospitals designated as "Top Performers on Key Quality Measures™", the Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Fresno, Hayward/Fremont, Modesto/Manteca, Redwood City, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Rosa, South San Francisco, Vacaville, and Walnut Creek in Northern California, and the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii were also named to the 2012 list. (The Joint Commission, for purposes of accreditation, recognizes Fremont/Hayward, and Modesto/Manteca, as combined campuses.)

The Joint Commission’s annual report, “Improving America’s Hospitals,” and the Top Performers List can be viewed at: http://www.jointcommission.org/annualreport.aspx. For more information about The Joint Commission, go to: http://www.jointcommission.org/

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high quality, affordable health care services to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 3.5 million members in Southern California. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.