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Hospitals Progressing on Quality and Safety

10/22/2024

A doctor speaks with a young patient holding a stuffed animal in her hospital bed

By Elizabeth Mort, MD, MPH, and Ken Grubbs, DNP, MBA, RN

A new report from the American Hospital Association (AHA), utilizing data analyzed by Vizient, brings much-needed good news to the healthcare industry. Hospital performance on key patient safety and quality measures has improved beyond pre-pandemic levels, suggesting that we are back on track and then some.

An analysis of 715 general, acute care hospitals that provided quarterly data to Vizient since 2019 shows decreases in:

  • Risk of mortality
  • Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI)
  • Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI)

Additionally, the data indicates that more patients are receiving preventative cancer care as screenings increase.

Obviously, we have a long way to go to achieve zero harm, but these incremental improvements signal that we are back on track and that progress is indeed possible.

Healthcare Worker Innovation and Resiliency

The AHA report should encourage the healthcare workforce. While healthcare workers have experienced an emotional rollercoaster since 2020, their efforts look like they are paying off, and they should take pride in these findings. Throughout the pandemic, healthcare workers have remained focused on placing patients at the center.

Before the pandemic, studies showed that patients suffered preventable harm, and then performance on safety and quality measures dipped at the height of the pandemic. As recovery began, healthcare workers committed to strengthening operations and working toward “pandemic-proofing” our healthcare systems.

To achieve this, innovation and resiliency have played crucial roles. Healthcare organizations are adopting innovative programs such as hospital-at-home, which enables patients needing acute-level care to receive it in their homes, and the routine use of telehealth. AI tools also promise efficiency and the ability to accelerate improvements in previously challenging areas, such as diagnostic safety.

The Joint Commission’s Improvement Role

The Joint Commission is out in the field surveying up to 100 healthcare organizations at any one time. We work with more than 23,000 organizations and programs in the United States to provide accreditation and certification across the continuum of care.

Our frontline observations reflect the results of the AHA report, showing compelling evidence of recovery in many organizations. Healthcare organizations are not just rebooting the systems of care that were routine before the pandemic; they are adapting to new workforce models, adopting digital technologies, developing more home-based programs, and integrating AI tools into clinical care workflows.

Much work remains, not only within our healthcare organizations but also in partnership with our communities to address the most pressing issues in healthcare. The Joint Commission’s HELP agenda (healthcare equity, environmental sustainability, learning/enabling responsible artificial intelligence, and performance integration and improvement) provides organizations with playbooks to help advance performance in these areas.

To wrap up, we have encouraging results from 715 hospitals using Vizient’s methods and we hope to see confirmation of progress as other hospitals’ data become available and as updates on important quality and safety performance from others are published.

Thank you for all you do to help achieve The Joint Commission’s vision that all people always experience the safest, highest quality and best value healthcare across all settings.

Elizabeth (Liz) Mort, MD, MPH, is Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for The Joint Commission. In this role, she oversees a Chief Medical Officers Council and a Physician Leadership Forum dedicated to healthcare safety issues and the identification of significant emerging trends. Dr. Mort is a primary care general internist and a nationally recognized expert with extensive experience in advancing systems of care to improve health outcomes across the continuum of care.

Ken Grubbs, DNP, MBA, RN, is Executive Vice President for Accreditation and Certification Operations and Chief Nursing Officer. In this role, he provides executive leadership for the accreditation and certification of more than 23,000 healthcare organizations and programs, including activities related to surveys, eligibility and application processes, federal deeming compliance requirements and more.