Inova Alexandria Hospital Receives Primary Stroke Center Recertification
July 18th, 2007
Alexandria, VA— The Joint Commission recently recertified Inova Alexandria Hospital as a Primary Stroke Center. This designation indicates that the services at the hospital provide patients with the best chance of survival, minimize the results of a stroke and improve recovery. Inova Alexandria Hospital and Inova Fairfax Hospital are the only two hospitals in Northern Virginia to be designated Primary Stroke Centers.
For recertification, clinical experts reviewed the hospitals standard practices and outcomes. By demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for stroke care, quality and safety, Inova Alexandria Hospital was recertified as a Primary Stroke Center.
“Inova Alexandria Hospital is proud to receive the Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center recertification for our ability to provide quality stroke treatment,” said Kathy Barry, chief operating officer, Inova Alexandria Hospital. “Our physicians, clinical staff and other support teams are committed to providing world class health care to Northern Virginia and the Primary Stroke Center achievement gives further evidence of this.”
The Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization, is the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.
Since 1951, The Joint Commission has maintained state-of-the-art standards that focus on improving the quality and safety of care provided by health care organizations. It accredits 15,000 hospitals, health care organizations and programs in the United States.
The Joint Commission’s Primary Stroke Center Certification program was developed with collaboration from the American Stroke Association.
Inova Fairfax Hospital Ranked Among the Nation’s Best by U.S. News & World Report
July 13th, 2007
Inova Hospital Named in Five Specialties, More than Any Other Hospital in the Metro Washington, D.C., Area
Falls Church, VA — Inova Fairfax Hospital is pleased to announce that it has once again been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of “America’s Best Hospitals.” The hospital was selected among the best in five specialties, more than any other hospital in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area. Nationally, this year’s rankings for Inova Fairfax Hospital are as follows:
Specialty Ranking Among Top 50
Heart and Heart Surgery 25
Digestive Disorders 28
Gynecology 38
Endocrinology 40
Cancer 50
U.S. News & World Report uses rigorous standards for ranking the nation’s best hospitals. Hospitals are ranked by specialty and not by specific procedures. Of the 5,462 hospitals evaluated, only 173 scored high enough to be ranked in at least one specialty.
“The physicians, nurses and staff at Inova Fairfax Hospital are fully dedicated to providing world-class patient care,” says Douglas Cropper, executive vice president, Inova Health System, and administrator, Inova Fairfax Hospital Campus. “It’s very rewarding to see the hospital named among the best in the country in five specialties and we’re proud to hold such a distinction.”
According to U.S. News & World Report, the hospitals that are selected as one of “America’s Best” are often referral centers that typically treat complex conditions and conduct bench-to-bedside research.
In 12 of the 16 specialties, U.S. News & World Report ranked hospitals on hard data. To be considered, a hospital must first meet at least one of three standards: be a member of the Council of Teaching Hospitals, be affiliated with a medical school, or make available to patients at least six out of 13 technology-related services, such as image-guided radiation therapy and robotic surgery. Only one-quarter of all hospitals qualified for these standards.
From there, each specialty had its own eligibility requirements. A hospital must have seen a specified minimum number of Medicare inpatients during 2003, 2004 and 2005 who had certain conditions or underwent certain procedures, or the hospital must have been recommended by at least one physician in recent U.S. News surveys. The remaining hospitals then received a numerical assessment made up of three equal parts: reputation, death rate and care-related factors, such as nursing and advanced services.
This is the eleventh time in the past 12 years that Inova Fairfax Hospital has been ranked among the nation’s best hospitals. For more on the awards, go to the magazine’s web site.
Inova Fairfax Hospital Cancer Center Receives Approval from the Commission on Cancer
July 2nd, 2007
Hospital Awarded Prestigious Three-Year Accreditation
Falls Church, VA— The Inova Fairfax Hospital Cancer Center has been granted three-year approval from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons, a distinction awarded to just one quarter of all hospitals in the country.
Approval is given only to facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of quality cancer care. In addition to an on-site review every three years, the facilities must undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance. Inova Fairfax Hospital has been an approved program since 1987.
“We’re committed to providing the best, most comprehensive care for our patients,” said Kirsten Edmiston, MD, medical director, Inova Fairfax Hospital Cancer Center. “This designation lets our patients know that they are receiving first-class care from a facility that has achieved a superior level of expertise and that has a dedicated team of nurses and physicians.”
Receiving care at a Commission on Cancer-approved cancer program ensures that a patient will have access to: quality care close to home comprehensive care, including a range of state-of-the art services and equipment a multi-specialty, team approach to coordinate the best treatment options information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options access to cancer-related information, education and support a cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results and offers lifelong patient follow-up ongoing monitoring and improvement of care
The Inova Fairfax Hospital Cancer Center is one of the largest and most comprehensive cancer programs in the metropolitan Washington, DC area. In 2006, Inova Fairfax Hospital became the first in the area to offer TomoTherapy®, an innovative external radiation therapy used to treat complex cases including brain, throat and prostate cancers. Physicians also began performing a minimally invasive treatment for patients with inoperable liver cancer using Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT), a technology that has been proven to increase patients’ life expectancy and overall quality of life. In addition, U.S. News & World Report has ranked the Inova Fairfax Hospital Cancer Center among the nation’s top 50 cancer programs in its “America’s Top Hospitals” issue.
For additional information about Inova Cancer Services and Life with Cancer®, visit our web site at www.inova.org/cancer/.
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