​Nearly one-third (1,043) of accredited hospitals have achieved the organization's "Top Performer" status and many others are close, according to the Joint Commission in America's Hospitals: Improving Quality and Safety: The Joint Commission's Annual Report 2015. The report, which summarizes 2014 data reported by over 3,300 Joint Commission-accredited hospitals on 49 accountability measures, illustrates hospital performance of evidence-based care for conditions such as heart attack, pneumonia, and stroke. The data includes for the first time performance measures for tobacco treatment and substance use. The Joint Commission reports that at least one hospital per state ranks among the 31.5% of accredited organizations achieving "Top Performer" status. Accredited hospital performance has significantly improved over time, according to the Joint Commission; performance is measured in "composite" accountability scores that increased 1.6% from 2010 to 2014 and 15.4% since 2002. Another 665 hospitals fell short of the required 95% performance on only one of the six measures, reports the Joint Commission, predicting that more than half of Joint Commission–accredited hospitals may be "Top Performers" in the future. However, just as a majority approach "Top Performer" status, the Joint Commission has also announced a planned one-year hiatus for the annual report in 2016, citing "the evolving national performance measure environment—particularly within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)" as the impetus for re-evaluation.

HRC Recommends: Measuring the quality of care and making this information available to stakeholders in the healthcare system is essential to improving care and enhancing patient safety—and is also a moving target. Achieving or coming close to achieving elevated Joint Commission recognition has become increasingly common; however, the requirements of fundamental stakeholders in quality improvement (e.g., CMS) continue to evolve. The focus on quality has risen to the very top leadership of healthcare organizations, and governing boards are increasingly more informed about quality-of-care and patient safety issues. Risk managers can update leadership and governing boards about the Joint Commission's 2016 hiatus and stay abreast of all developments to help leaders establish strategic goals for patient safety and quality of care as well as to improve the effectiveness of board oversight in these areas.