Barstow Community Hospital has been placed in the top 14% of accredited hospitals for its adherence to national standards for pneumonia, heart failure and surgical care. The hospital was recognized last week by the Joint Commission, the largest accrediting body for hospitals in the Country. The Commission identified hospitals across the Country that were over 95% accurate in following the national standards for one or more of five clinical services including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical and children’s asthma. Specifically, BCH is recognized this year for its procedures for giving pneumonia patients antibiotics and providing the pneumonia and flu vaccine to these patients. It also scored highest in its triage procedures for heart patients, like electrocardiograms and infection prevention for surgery patients. The staff has to record every step in the process with a patient who is being treated for one of the five areas. The Joint Commission uses these records to determine how accurately the hospital is following national standard protocols. For example, if a patient comes to the ER with chest pains or shortness of breath, they must be set up with an electrocardiogram within 10 minutes to determine the issue. There were 405 hospitals nationwide that were recognized, including 34 California hospitals.
