Local hospitals named as ‘Top Performers’

Aurora Health Care announced last week that several state hospitals – including Aurora Memorial Hospital of Burlington and Lakeland Medical Center in Elkhorn – are named as 2013 Top Performers on Key Quality Measures.

The award is given by The Joint Commission, which the press release called the leading accreditor of health care organizations in the United States. The hospitals are recognized as part of the commission’s 2014 annual report “America’s Hospitals: Improving Quality and Safety.”

The report recognizes 1,224 hospitals across the country with the Top Performer distinction.

“I’m proud that Aurora Memorial Hospital of Burlington and Aurora Lakeland Medical Center were recognized again this year,” said Lisa Just, president of both hospitals.

The awards recognize both hospitals’ performance in pneumonia and surgical care, as well as the Burlington hospital’s performance in the care of heart attacks.

“This award demonstrates the consistency of high quality care that our caregivers strive to deliver to each and every patient,” Just added.

Other Aurora hospitals receiving recognition in the state are: BayCare Medical Center, Green Bay; Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center; St. Luke’s Medical Center, Milwaukee; St. Luke’s South Shore, Cudahy; Sinai Medical Center, Milwaukee; and Aurora Medical Centers in Kenosha, Summit, Oshkosh, Washington County and West Allis.

In order to qualify for the award, hospitals had to meet three criteria:

• Achieving cumulative performance of 95 percent or above across all reported accountability measures.

• Achieving performance of 95 percent or above on each and every reported accountability measure where there were at least 30 cases.

• Heaving at least one core measure set that had a composite rate of 95 percent or above, and within that measure, all individual accountability measures had to have a performance rate of 95 percent or above.