John Muir Health’s Concord and Walnut Creek Medical Centers have again been ranked very highly by U.S. News & World Report in its 2023/2024 list of America's Best Hospitals. The Walnut Creek Medical Center has a nationally ranked service for the 17th straight year. In the latest rankings, Diabetes & Endocrinology (#37), Obstetrics & Gynecology (#24), and Pulmonology & Lung Surgery (#37) all achieved national rankings. The medical centers were also rated as high performing in several specialties -- Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Geriatrics, , Orthopedics, and Urology. In addition, the two medical centers were rated as high performing in a number of adult procedures and conditions, including Aortic Valve Surgery, Back Surgery (Spinal Fusion), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), Colon Cancer Surgery, Diabetes, Heart Attack, Heart Bypass Surgery, Heart Failure, Hip Fracture, Hip Replacement, Kidney Failure, Knee Replacement, Leukemia, Lymphoma & Myeloma, Lung Cancer Surgery, Ovarian Cancer Surgery, Pneumonia, Prostate Cancer Surgery, Stroke, and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). Walnut Creek and Concord were also designated as Best Regional Hospitals, ranked #2 and #3 in the SF Metro Area and #9 and #18 in the state, respectively.
Healthgrades, a leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals, has recognized our medical centers for several awards. Our Concord Medical Center was named as one of America’s Top 50 Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery for the fifth straight year. Both medical centers have received Joint Replacement Excellence Awards for superior clinical outcomes in knee and hip replacement. The Walnut Creek Medical Center has been named one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Pulmonary Care.
The World’s Best Hospitals 2023 ranking lists the best hospitals in the United States. Our Walnut Creek and Concord medical centers were recognized on the list and ranked as #157 and #177 in the United States, respectively. The Maternity Center at the Walnut Creek Medical Center was also recognized as one of the best in the United States.
The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association, has honored John Muir Health with Magnet® recognition status for excellence in nursing services and quality nursing care at our Concord and Walnut Creek Medical Centers. The Magnet Recognition Program® recognizes health care organizations that demonstrate excellence and adherence to national standards for the organization and delivery of nursing services. Magnet recognition is the highest level of recognition that the ANCC can accord to a health care organization and honors the nursing service at the Walnut Creek Medical Center and the Concord Medical Center as two of the best in the nation.
For the 12 consecutive years, John Muir Health’s Physician Network has achieved the highest possible "elite" ranking in American Physician Group's annual Standards of Excellence™ survey. The annual survey evaluates physician groups and networks based upon how well-equipped and organized they are to deliver a high-quality patient experience, coordinate care and provide for population health programs, while at the same time improving the overall affordability of health care services.
John Muir Health’s Physician Network received the Integrated Healthcare Association’s Excellence in Healthcare Award – California’s top honor for provider organizations. Top-performing provider organizations have earned strong results in clinical quality, patient experience, and total cost of care. To achieve this recognition, provider organizations must perform in the top 50 percent in each of these three areas.
John Muir Health has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™ for accreditation by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety in hospitals. The accreditation award recognizes our dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards.
John Muir Health underwent a rigorous unannounced on-site survey and a team of Joint Commission expert surveyors evaluated us for compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of patients, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.
John Muir Health has also been awarded disease-specific recognition for Stroke Care, Wound Care services and Lab Point-of-Care Testing.
The Walnut Creek Emergency Department has received Bronze - Level 3 accreditation as part of the Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) program, which is an American College of Emergency Physicians-governed national accreditation organization. The accreditation recognizes Emergency Departments that adhere to the highest standards of care for older adults. GEDA best practices include ensuring geriatric-focused education and interdisciplinary staffing; standardized approaches to care that address common geriatric issues; geriatric-focused policies and protocols including transitions of care; quality improvement and metrics; and optimal preparation of the physical environment.
John Muir Health’s Concord and Walnut Creek Medical Centers have achieved HIMMS Stage 7 Certification, which means that we operate in a near paperless environment using a secure electronic health record and other online systems. The certification also validates that we are leveraging technology to analyze patterns of clinical data to improve our quality of care, patient safety and care delivery efficiency.
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), has released their coveted Digital Health Most Wired Survey results for the 2023 data collection period and we are proud to announce John Muir Health’s Level 9 achievement, designating us as a Most Wired organization. The Digital Health Most Wired survey and recognition program serves as a comprehensive “Digital Health Check-up” for healthcare organizations across the world. As success in digital health increasingly determines the quality of patient care, the scope of the CHIME Digital Health Most Wired survey reflects the progress of leading healthcare providers as they reinvent healthcare for a new century.
Concord Medical Center has earned the 2023 Mission: Lifeline® - STEMI Receiving Center - Gold Plus Award and the Walnut Creek Medical Center Gold honors. The awards demonstrate our commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), known to be more severe and dangerous than other types of heart attacks.
STEMI Receiving Centers earn Gold recognition for achieving 85% or higher composite adherence to all Mission: Lifeline STEMI Receiving Center quality achievement indicators with 75% or higher compliance on all Mission: Lifeline STEMI Receiving Center quality measures to improve the quality of care for STEMI patients. STEMI Receiving Gold Plus- STEMI Receiving Center also achieves at least 75% adherence for the same consecutive 24-month interval(s) as the Gold award for the First Door-to-Device time <120 Minutes measure.
Our Walnut Creek and Concord Medical Centers have earned the 2023 Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award demonstrates our commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure, meaning reduced readmissions and more healthy days at home.Hospitals receiving Get With The Guidelines® Gold Plus Achievement Award have reached an aggressive goal of treating patients with 85 percent or higher compliance to core standard levels of care as outlined by the American Heart Association® for 2 consecutive calendar years. In addition, those hospitals have demonstrated 75 percent compliance to (four out of ten heart failure quality measures or seven out of ten stroke quality measures) during the 12-month period.
Our Walnut Creek and Concord Medical Centers have earned the 2023 Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, which indicates a commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability. Hospitals receiving Get With The Guidelines® Gold Plus Achievement Award have reached an aggressive goal of treating patients with 85 percent or higher compliance to core standard levels of care as outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association® for 2 consecutive calendar years. In addition, those hospitals have demonstrated 75 percent compliance to (four out of ten heart failure quality measures or four out of seven stroke quality measures) during the 12-month period.
Hospitals achieving Time to thrombolytic therapy ≤ 60 minutes in 85% or more of applicable acute ischemic stroke patients treated with IV tPA to improve quality of patient care and outcomes.
The Walnut Creek Medical Center also received recognition for the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll and Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll. Walnut Creek Medical Center also received recognition on the Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll. Our Concord Medical Center achieved the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll and Target: Stroke Honor Roll.
To qualify for the Target: Stroke Honor Roll, hospitals must meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster alteplase. Qualification for the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll ensures patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to heart disease or stroke.
After undergoing an on-site evaluation and demonstrating compliance with nationally developed standards for stroke care, John Muir Health’s Concord and Walnut Creek Medical Centers have earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™ for certification as Primary Stroke Center (Concord Medical Center) and Comprehensive Stroke Center (Walnut Creek Medical Center). By achieving certification as Primary and Comprehensive Stroke Centers, we have proven our ability to provide effective, timely care to stroke victims, which can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients.
John Muir Health’s Radiation Oncology programs at its Concord and Walnut Creek medical centers have received accreditation from The American College of Radiology (ACR), the nation’s oldest and most widely recognized radiation oncology and medical imaging accrediting body. This recognition places John Muir Health in the company of 200 radiation oncology facilities in the United States that are ACR accredited or in the accreditation review process, and the only hospitals in the East Bay to be recognized.
John Muir Health is accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. The accreditation assures patients that our Breast Health Center is held to the highest standards of care.
John Muir Health’s Rectal Cancer Program is the first nationwide to earn accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) and Center of Excellence by the American College of Surgeons (ACoS).
John Muir Health, Concord Medical Center and John Muir Health, Walnut Creek Medical Center are both recognized as Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement.
John Muir Health, Walnut Creek Medical Center is recognized as Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery.
John Muir Health, Concord Medical Center is recognized as Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care.
Note: Designation as Blue Distinction Centers® means these facilities' overall experience and aggregate data met objective criteria established in collaboration with expert clinicians' and leading professional organizations' recommendations. Individual outcomes may vary. To find out which services are covered under your policy at any facilities, please call your local Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield Plan; and call your provider before making an appointment, to verify the most current information on its Network participation and Blue Distinction status. Neither Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any of its Licensees are responsible for any damages, losses, or non-covered charges that may result from using Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or receiving care from a Blue Distinction or other provider.
Our Concord and Walnut Creek Medical Centers have both received the highest level of Chest Pain Center Accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers, an international non-profit focused on improving care for cardiac patients. John Muir Health's two hospitals are among only 500 hospitals nationwide accredited as Chest Pain Centers.
A Three-Year Accreditation was awarded to John Muir Health for the following programs:
John Muir Health’s Concord and Walnut Creek Medical Centers, and Behavioral Health Center have been recognized as “Top Performers in LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the country’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization. All of our facilities earned top marks in meeting non-discrimination and training criteria that demonstrate our commitment to equitable, inclusive care for LGBTQ+ patients and their families.
The Accreditation Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) has awarded a two-year accreditation to the Concord and Walnut Creek Medical Center Laboratories and the Microbiology Laboratory. The CAP accreditation process, which is considered equal-to or more-stringent-than the federal government’s own inspection program, ensures that laboratory patients are receiving the highest standard of care. John Muir Health's labs are three of more than 7,600 CAP-accredited facilities worldwide.
The Concord and Walnut Creek Medical Center Blood Banks have been granted accreditation from the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). AABB’s Accreditation Program assesses the quality and safety of collecting, processing, testing, distributing and administering blood and cellular therapy products, as well as the quality and operational systems in place within our hospitals. The accreditation ensures that we have a level of professional and technical expertise that contributes to quality performance and patient safety.
Our Weight Loss Surgery Center has earned accreditation as a Comprehensive Center for Bariatric Surgery under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP®), a joint program of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
A bariatric surgical center achieves accreditation following a rigorous review process during which it proves that it can maintain certain physical resources, human resources and standards of practice. All accredited centers report their outcomes to the MBSAQIP database. The MBSAQIP accreditation ensures that bariatric surgical patients receive the benefits of a multidisciplinary program, not just a surgical procedure, which improves patient outcomes and long-term success. That means patients can expect the highest standards of safety and care.
Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Society Accreditation is the gold standard in hyperbaric facility accreditation. The John Muir Health, Walnut Creek Medical Center is one of only six hospitals in California with this accreditation, which is the only hyperbaric specific accreditation to be recognized by The Joint Commission. The accreditation means that our facility has met the highest standards of care and patient safety through a rigorous evaluation of the adequacy of our facility, equipment, staff and training.
John Muir Health’s Wound Care Team is accredited by the Joint Commission, which signifies that our qualified and competent providers deliver safe, high quality and highly reliable patient care. We also have performance measurements in place to monitor, analyze and improve outcomes, as well as standardized care across the health care continuum.
John Muir Health’s Walnut Creek Medical Center was the first hospital in Contra Costa County to receive prestigious international recognition from Baby Friendly USA as a Designated Baby-Friendly® birth facility. Breastfeeding is one of the best things you can do for your newborn. The World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund recently released the 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding framework that Baby-Friendly hospitals like ours use to guide breastfeeding experiences from the moment a child is born. We are proud to be recognized for providing a level of care and range of services that help mothers achieve their baby’s nutritional goals.
John Muir Health’s Walnut Creek Medical Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Advanced Certification in Perinatal Care (ACPC) by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. According to The Joint Commission, the Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care and to improving the patient experience. The certification recognizes the Walnut Creek Medical Center’s efforts to achieve integrated, coordinated, and patient-centered prenatal through postpartum care, including both complicated and uncomplicated pregnancies.
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