18 Kentucky hospitals cited as 'top performers' on accreditation board's annual list

Eighteen Kentucky hospitals have been included on the annual list of hospitals that have excelled at adhering to basic procedures for surgery and other treatment of common illnesses such as heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia. The Joint Commission, the nation’s major hospital accreditation board, has released this year's list of 620 hospitals considered to be “top performers” for following recommended protocols at least 95 percent of the time. The top 18 percent of accredited hospitals make the list.

Among the Kentucky hospitals that qualified on all four measurements were Greenview Hospital in Bowling Green, Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center in Danville, St. Elizabeth Medical Center in both Florence and Fort Thomas, Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington.

Those qualifying in three categories were the Robley Rex Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Louisville (not in surgery) and the Appalachian Regional Hospitals in Harlan and Middlesboro (not in heart attack).

Qualifying in two categories were Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center in Leitchfield, Frankfort Regional Medical Center, the Hospital of Louisa and Jackson Hospital Corp., all for pneumonia and surgical care.

Recognized for pneumonia care were Parkway Regional Hospital in Fulton, Paul B. Hall Regional Medical Center in Paintsville, Logan Memorial Hospital in Russellville and the KentuckyOne Health Hospital in Martin.

Among behavioral-health hospitals, ranked on their in-patient psychiatric care, the Kentucky facilities on the list were the Universal Health Services facility in Bowling Green, the new Cumberland Hall Hospital in Hopkinsville.

According to Kaiser Health News, the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization devoted to patient safety, aided in the rankings process, as did Consumer Reports. The Commission has its own metrics. It's worth noting that next month, Medicare will start using hospital quality rankings on its Hospital Compare website to set reimbursements. (Read more)

Eighteen Kentucky hospitals have been included on the annual list of hospitals that have excelled at adhering to basic procedures for surgery and other treatment of common illnesses such as heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia. The Joint Commission, the nation’s major hospital accreditation board, has released this year's list of 620 hospitals considered to be “top performers” for following recommended protocols at least 95 percent of the time. The top 18 percent of accredited hospitals make the list.

Among the Kentucky hospitals that qualified on all four measurements were Greenview Hospital in Bowling Green, Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center in Danville, St. Elizabeth Medical Center in both Florence and Fort Thomas, Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington.

Those qualifying in three categories were the Robley Rex Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Louisville (not in surgery) and the Appalachian Regional Hospitals in Harlan and Middlesboro (not in heart attack).

Qualifying in two categories were Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center in Leitchfield, Frankfort Regional Medical Center, the Hospital of Louisa and Jackson Hospital Corp., all for pneumonia and surgical care.

Recognized for pneumonia care were Parkway Regional Hospital in Fulton, Paul B. Hall Regional Medical Center in Paintsville, Logan Memorial Hospital in Russellville and the KentuckyOne Health Hospital in Martin.

Among behavioral-health hospitals, ranked on their in-patient psychiatric care, the Kentucky facilities on the list were the Universal Health Services facility in Bowling Green, the new Cumberland Hall Hospital in Hopkinsville.

According to Kaiser Health News, the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization devoted to patient safety, aided in the rankings process, as did Consumer Reports. The Commission has its own metrics. It's worth noting that next month, Medicare will start using hospital quality rankings on its Hospital Compare website to set reimbursements. (Read more)

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Searching for a fundamental 'particle' of mental health

The discovery of the Higgs particle, which gives matter its mass, was a huge breakthrough for scientists since "confirming its existence was imperative to a full scientific understanding of the world," and its has an equivalent that has yet to be found when it comes to mental health, forensic psychiatrist Erik Roskes writes for The Crime Report.

The equivalent of the "Standard Model" of mental health — Higgs plays an essential part in the "Standard Model" of physics — is a world in which "people are not penalized for their illnesses but rather than an array of tools from which to choose and which they can use to become mentally healthy," Roskes writes.

Though those tools have not yet been identified, there are paths down which researchers are going to find them, including molecular and pharmaceutical research; psychotherapies and rehabilitation. Research has led to pharmaceutical approaches, "not perfect, but far preferable to a world without them," he writes. It has led to cognitive therapy to treat depression, anxiety and, in some cases, psychosis. It has also led to advances in rehabilitation of mental illnesses and developmental disabilities like autism.

Like the search for the Higgs particle, finding its equivalent in the world of mental health is worth the search, Roskes concludes. (Read more)

The discovery of the Higgs particle, which gives matter its mass, was a huge breakthrough for scientists since "confirming its existence was imperative to a full scientific understanding of the world," and its has an equivalent that has yet to be found when it comes to mental health, forensic psychiatrist Erik Roskes writes for The Crime Report.

The equivalent of the "Standard Model" of mental health — Higgs plays an essential part in the "Standard Model" of physics — is a world in which "people are not penalized for their illnesses but rather than an array of tools from which to choose and which they can use to become mentally healthy," Roskes writes.

Though those tools have not yet been identified, there are paths down which researchers are going to find them, including molecular and pharmaceutical research; psychotherapies and rehabilitation. Research has led to pharmaceutical approaches, "not perfect, but far preferable to a world without them," he writes. It has led to cognitive therapy to treat depression, anxiety and, in some cases, psychosis. It has also led to advances in rehabilitation of mental illnesses and developmental disabilities like autism.

Like the search for the Higgs particle, finding its equivalent in the world of mental health is worth the search, Roskes concludes. (Read more)

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