Quality Report
Organization Commentary     Brigham and Women's Hospital
Org ID: 5503
Brigham and Women’s Hospital is a world-renowned provider in quality patient care, medical education and research and in its role as a leader, BWH is committed to the Joint Commission accreditation process. Brigham and Women’s Hospital has been consistently named to U.S. News & World Report’s Honor Roll of “Top Hospitals”. As a major teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, BWH sets a standard of excellence in health care and pioneering research in virtually every area of medicine. BWH has been recognized as a leader in quality and patient safety and as a result, has been awarded the 2007 UHC Quality and Accountability Study Award and the Leapfrog Group’s 2007 list of “Top Hospitals”, among other notable distinctions.

Brigham and Women’s greatest asset is its people. For every patient we see, in every aspect of health care at BWH, this hospital is shaped by the values of our staff:

• Quality Patient Care
• Teaching Excellence
• Research Leadership
• Patient Safety
• Respect for Patient and Family
• Teamwork
• Innovation

A founding member of Partners HealthCare System, Inc., Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in its mission with Boston’s Faulkner Hospital, its partnership with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and its neighborhood primary care satellite centers, is dedicated to serving the needs of the community. BWH is comprised of 777 inpatient beds, extensive outpatient facilities and services, state-of-the art diagnostic and treatment technologies as well as innovative research laboratories.
Annual statistics for Brigham and Women’s Hospital include:

• Approximately 45,000 inpatient and 667,000 outpatient visits
• More than 30,600 surgical procedures
• Over 56,000 visits in the Emergency Department
• As New England’s largest birthing center, and a regional leader in
high-risk obstetrics and newborn care, roughly 8,400 babies are
born at BWH, and the Newborn Intensive Care Unit treats more than
900 infants annually.
• BWH employs more than 14,000 people, with more than 2,500
physicians and researchers, and over 3,000 nurses.

A leading recipient of research funds for the National Institutes of Health, BWH is internationally known for its clinical, basic, and population-based research studies, including the landmark Nurse’s Health Study, Physician’s Health Studies, and the Women’s Health Initiative. Additionally, BWH staff continue to lead the field in patient safety research related to the introduction of new medication safety processes – such as provider order entry, bar-coding and electronic medication administration systems – and other patient safety improvements.

BWH is proud to be recognized for its clinical excellence in cardiology and cardiovascular disease, immunology, arthritis and rheumatic disorders, joint replacement, neuroscience and cancer care.

In 2008, BWH opened the new Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, one of the most advanced cardiovascular centers of its kind. Our 13-floor facility includes 136 inpatient rooms, 16 additional ORs that bring the BWH total to 44 ORs, and the Watkins Cardiovascular Clinic. Our heart and vascular programs and services are co-located in this new Center, enabling our world-renowned team of cardiovascular experts to provide a new level of patient- and family-focused care.

BWH was the first in organ transplantation. Over 50 years ago we performed the world’s first successful transplant, a kidney. BWH today is a national leader in transplants, performing heart, lung, kidney and heart-lung transplant surgery, as well as bone marrow transplantation. Among our other notable “firsts”, in 2004 BWH surgeons performed a quintuple transplant - harvesting five lungs from three donors, giving new hope to five patients in a 36-hour period.

We thank the Joint Commission for its thorough review of our organization. The framework of standards provided by the Joint Commission ensures that we delivery the highest level of quality care to our inpatient and outpatients, and we are proud to excel in meeting these standards. To learn more about a host of BWH programs and initiatives to continuously improve care, patient safety and the service experience for our patients and their families, go to brighamandwomens.org/quality.

Thank you for your interest in Brigham and Women’s Hospital. If you have any additional questions regarding our accreditation with the Joint Commission, please do not hesitate to contact Janet Nally Barnes at 617.732.6442.

Prepared By:

Health Care Organization ID#:	5503
Organization Name:	Brigham and Women's Hospital
Address:	75 Francis Street Boston, MA  02115
Chief Executive Officer:	Dr. Elizabeth Nabel
Phone Number:	(617)732-5500
Date:	09/12/2008