Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton, Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica and Higgins General Hospital in Bremen have been named among the top hospitals in Georgia for quality care by the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA).
Each of the facilities have been placed on GHA’s Partnership for Health and Accountability Core Measures Honor Roll. The honor roll is based on clinical data provided by the federal Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS), which administers the nation’s Medicare and Medicaid programs. The data used in the rankings was collected from October 2011 to September 2012.
“We are pleased to recognize Tanner’s commitment to patient safety,” said Joseph Parker, president of GHA. “Compliance with these important core measures ensures that every patient receives the best, most effective health care possible.”
Hospitals are required to submit care data to CMS, which details how well a hospital’s caregivers adhere to a list of “Value-Based Purchasing” core measures—measures that help consumers make educated decisions about where to receive care. The core measures tracked by CMS include clinical processes that are proven to be the most effective methods of treatment for surgical patients, patients who have suffered heart attacks, or patients who are hospitalized with pneumonia or heart failure.
Examples of Value-Based Purchasing core measures include providing aspirin either before or upon arrival at the hospital if a patient is suffering a suspected heart attack, or administering an antibiotic within four hours of a patient’s arrival for treatment of pneumonia. The Value-Based Purchasing core measure is a composite that determines whether or not a patient received the right care at the right time. A hospital’s adherence to these recommended clinical practices usually leads to better outcomes for patients.
“We constantly strive to maintain the highest standard of patient care,” said Loy Howard, president and CEO of Tanner Health System. “This honor validates that. It is a tribute to the dedication of our staff members who ensure that patients can trust that they’re receiving exceptional care when they turn to Tanner.”
Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton and Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica were among 17 Georgia hospitals to place in the Chairman’s category—the highest on the list. Higgins General Hospital was among 27 hospitals to place in the Trustee category, which is second highest on GHA’s honor roll.
The Partnership for Health and Accountability was formed in January 2000 and is sponsored by GHA. It is a unique statewide collaborative that brings together healthcare providers with community agencies and individuals to achieve healthy communities. The Partnership for Health and Accountability includes representatives from hospitals, physician offices, state health agencies, legislators and business leaders from around the state.
For more information on the quality of care available at Tanner Health System, visit www.TannerQuality.org.