Parkland Medical Center
November 13, 2017

Parkland and Portsmouth are the only hospitals in NH recognized for the program

Derry and Portsmouth, NH – The Joint Commission has recognized HCA’s Parkland Medical Center and Portsmouth Regional Hospital as 2017 Pioneers in Quality for their contributions to electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) data for quality improvement in healthcare.

Until recently, most hospitals collected information to measure healthcare quality by manually abstracting data from patient records. Today, through eCQMs—which rely on structured, encoded data present in the electronic health record—hospitals can electronically collect and transmit data on the quality of care that patients receive. That electronic data, in turn, can be analyzed to measure and improve care processes, performance and outcomes.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by The Joint Commission,” said Joanne McCourt, CPHQ, CPPS, CLSSS, director of Quality and Patient Safety at Parkland Medical Center. “It reflects on our staff’s commitment to continuous quality improvement as it relates to the adoption of electronic clinical quality measures—the evolution and future of healthcare data reporting. Like The Joint Commission, we believe gathering and analyzing performance data is crucial to continuously improving quality of care and outcomes for all patients.”

“We have been reporting data to The Joint Commission since 2002 as part of our commitment to improving care for our patients,” stated Donna Fitts, MSN, CPHRM, vice president of Quality, Risk Management and Patient Safety at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. “Through eCQMs, hospitals can electronically collect and transmit data on the quality of care that patients receive—data that can be analyzed to measure and improve care processes, performances and outcomes. Portsmouth Regional Hospital is proud to be at the forefront of this new era in healthcare quality reporting.”

The Joint Commission, the United States’ leading accreditor of healthcare organizations, established the Pioneers in Quality program to assist and recognize hospitals that report eCQM data, as well as share best practices for all hospitals in gathering, analyzing and leveraging eCQM data for quality improvement. Of more than 3,200 Joint Commission-accredited hospitals that reported 2016 data, only 480 have been named 2017 Pioneers in Quality hospitals by meeting criteria in one or more categories. Both Parkland and Portsmouth hospitals meet criteria for the Data Contributor category, which is a hospital that voluntarily submitted 2016 electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) data to The Joint Commission for measurement toward quality improvement.

“We commend Parkland Medical Center and Portsmouth Regional Hospital as 2017 Pioneers in Quality organizations for their contributions and commitment to electronic clinical quality measure data and practice toward quality improvement,” said David W. Baker, MD, MPH, FACP, executive vice president, Division of Health Care Quality Evaluation, The Joint Commission.

“Out of 3,200 healthcare organizations, both hospitals are among only 480 that The Joint Commission has recognized this year for embracing new technology to submit data about the care it provides to patients. That work to voluntarily share information helps the entire industry move forward in utilizing electronic clinical quality measurement for healthcare improvement.”

Pioneers in Quality recognition is not an indicator or measure of data quality or quality of care, but an indicator of an organization’s commitment to adopting eCQMs toward quality improvement. It recognizes eCQM data reporting and other contributions that advance eCQM adoption in healthcare. For more information about The Joint Commission and the Pioneers in Quality program, visit the Joint Commission website.

About Parkland Medical Center

Parkland Medical Center is a regional acute care hospital located in Derry and serving Derry, Atkinson, Chester, Hampstead, Londonderry, Pelham, Salem, Sandown and Windham. Established in 1983, the hospital has become a leader in providing high quality healthcare services to its patients and is consistently recognized for exceeding state and national standards for healthcare quality measures.

About Portsmouth Regional Hospital

Portsmouth Regional Hospital is a 209-bed acute care hospital located in Portsmouth, NH, and is part of HCA—the nation’s largest provider of healthcare services. Portsmouth Regional Hospital serves the Seacoast region’s residents in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts and also is one of the area’s largest employers. Portsmouth Regional Hospital is the only Level II Trauma Center on the Seacoast and one of only three in New Hampshire to earn this important distinction. For more information about Portsmouth’s services and physicians, visit: Portsmouth Hospital's website.