A developer known for its senior citizen complexes has invested $6 million to acquire a Kosciusko County lakeside resort.Five hospitals in the region are being recognized as among the best in the nation in specific treatment areas by the Joint Commission, the country’s oldest and largest standards-setting organization.
The independent, non-profit organization selected 620 – or about 18 percent – of more than 3,400 eligible hospitals for the honors, based on performance data submitted by the hospitals.
The health care facilities were evaluated according to evidence-based clinical measurements in treating patients suffering from heart attacks, heart failure, pneumonia, stroke, surgical needs and other conditions.
The Joint Commission’s list, which was released Tuesday, includes a designation of the area or areas in which a hospital excelled during 2011.
Northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio’s hospitals named to the 2011 Top Performers on Key Quality Measures are:
•Bluffton Regional Medical Center, Bluffton – Pneumonia, surgical care
•Dupont Hospital, Fort Wayne – Pneumonia, surgical care
•The Orthopedic Hospital of Lutheran Health Network, Fort Wayne – Surgical care
•Mercy Hospital of Defiance, Defiance, Ohio – Pneumonia, surgical care
•Orthopedic Hospital at Parkview North, Fort Wayne – Surgical care
The top performers list is designed to be an incentive for hospitals and provide consumers with information to help them make choices, according to The Joint Commission.
Most hospitals not on the list are performing well but have room for improvement, the Chicago-based organization said.
Bluffton Regional, Dupont and The Orthopedic Hospital are all part of Fort Wayne-based Lutheran Health Network. A fourth hospital in the network, Dukes Memorial Hospital in Peru, also made the list for pneumonia care.
Joe Dorko, Lutheran Health Network’s CEO, said the organization is proud that four of its facilities have appeared on the list two consecutive years.
“Lutheran Health Network understands that what matters most to patients is safe, effective care,” he said in a written statement.
The recognition, he said, reflects the commitment of physicians, nurses and associates to patients’ health.
