September 14, 2011 - Galesburg Cottage Hospital has earned a Top Performer national distinction award from the Joint Commission, the nations' leading health care accreditor. The distinction is based on 2010 data about evidence-based clinical processes shown to improve care in three medical categories – heart attack, pneumonia and surgical care. Galesburg Cottage Hospital is the only hospital between Pekin and the Quad Cities to earn the Top Performer award. Only 405 hospitals in the U.S. earn this award, which represents the top 14% of Joint Commission accredited hospitals.

In qualifying as a top performer, Galesburg Cottage Hospital met two 95% performance thresholds. First, the hospital achieved a composite performance score of 95% or above for all of the data relating to the three medical categories listed above. Second, the hospital met or exceeded a 95% performance target for every single accountability measure for which the hospital reports data, excluding any measures with less than 30 eligible cases. There are 6 accountability measures for heart attack, 5 for pneumonia and 8 for surgical care. By way of example, accountability measures for surgical care include such things as antibiotic selection and the timeliness of administration of antibiotics.

According to Earl Tamar, Chief Executive Officer at Galesburg Cottage Hospital, the distinction is a landmark accreditation. "This award indicates, with clear and objective measures of patient care, that the quality of care provided at this facility is very high compared with other hospitals nationally. It is a reflection of having a very talented medical staff and excellent employees who are committed to serving our patients well."

"Safe and effective care are the two elements in health care that all patients unequivocally deserve. Safe and effective care are at the very core of our commitment to accreditation and positive outcomes, so we are very proud to have earned this distinction, especially when transparency and performance scores are so important," says Mark DeYoung, MD, President of the GCH Medical Staff.