Joint Commission names JBER hospital top peformer in 2 areas Published Dec. 14, 2015 By Airman 1st Class Kyle Johnson JBER Public Affairs JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- In late November, the Joint Commission officially recognized the 673d Medical Group with its "Gold Seal of Approval" as a top performer amongst more than 3,000 U.S. hospitals in the Surgical Care and Venous Thromboembolism categories. "This recognition by the Joint Commission is for the efforts of the entire 673d Medical Group team in providing safe, quality healthcare at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson," said Air Force Col. Teresa Bisnett, commander of the 673d Medical Group. Only 31 percent of hospitals that submitted data were recognized as top performers. Only one other Alaska location was recognized as a top performer in the venous thromboembolism category. VTE is a condition that can develop during surgery, in which a blood clot breaks loose and travels through the bloodstream, potentially to deadly locations. As a top performer in the VTE and surgical care categories, the 673d MDG has proven to be one of the nation's best hospitals at preventing such incidents. The Joint Commission is a nonprofit organization that grades and accredits American medical facilities. The process to be recognized as a top performer is complex, but essentially a hospital must have a 95 percent score in evidence-based practice of a certain category as graded by the Joint Commission. According to the Joint Commission's website, the "Top Performer" program has three main goals: to increase transparency to the public regarding their hospitals, inspire increased performance, and to recognize hospitals that are performing well. For more information on the Joint Commission and its accreditation, and to see which hospitals won kudos, visit www.jointcommission.org/accreditation/top_performers.aspx