News release: “For the first time, The Joint Commission’s 2011 annual report on quality and safety, Improving America’s Hospitals, lists hospitals and critical access hospitals that are top performers in using evidence-based care processes closely linked to positive patient outcomes. The 405 organizations identified as attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance for the full previous year (2010) represent approximately 14 percent of Joint Commission-accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals that report core measure performance data. Based on performance related to 22 accountability measures for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care and children’s asthma care, The Joint Commission report singles out hospitals in 45 states. The list of top performing hospitals and the measure set or sets for which the hospital was recognized are available online” as follows: