Report shows improving quality of hospital care

A Joint Commission report says hospitals have steadily improved patient care in recent years.

That news comes in the annual report from the Oakbrook Terrace-based accrediting group.

The report shows improvement between 2002 and 2008 on quality measures for treating several common conditions. Substantial gains were seen in treatment for heart failure, heart attacks and pneumonia.

Weaknesses also are noted. Only 52 percent of hospitals in 2008 provided clot-busting drugs to heart attack patients within 30 minutes of arrival.

And only 60 percent provided antibiotics to intensive-care unit pneumonia patients within 24 hours of arrival.

More than 3,000 Joint Commission-accredited hospitals contributed to the report.