Ben Taub and LBJ Hospitals Receive National Commendation for Surgical Care  

HOUSTON (Nov. 26, 2018)— Harris Health System’s Ben Taub Hospital and Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital are among 83 hospitals nationwide to receive meritorious commendation for their surgical patient care from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program—a nationally recognized quality improvement organization.

George V. Masi

In Texas, 11 hospitals made the American College of Surgeons meritorious list—six, including Ben Taub and LBJ hospitals, alone

Dr. Parikshet Babber (Courtesy of Harris Health System)

from greater Houston.

“The recognition by the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program is a testament of Harris Health System’s commitment to providing patients with excellent surgical care,” says George V. Masi, president and CEO, Harris Health. “Thanks to the collaboration of our medical partners from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and our hospital’s stellar nursing and support staff, we’re able to provide patients of Harris County the best possible care.”

Participating hospitals are scored based on measures from eight areas: mortality, unplanned intubation, patient ventilation for more than 48 hours, renal failure, cardiac incidents (cardiac arrest and myocardial infarction), respiratory (pneumonia), surgical site infections and urinary tract infections.

Ben Taub Hospital is among 58 hospitals earning dual honors for its surgical care of ‘all cases’ and ‘high risk’ patients, while LBJ Hospital is among 70 hospitals recognized for its surgical ‘high risk’ cases.

“Our goal is to improve all aspects of the surgical care we provide patients based on best practices,” says Dr. Parikshet Babber, executive vice president and chief medical officer, Harris Health. “These recognitions demonstrate our excellence in dealing with routine and complex surgical cases.”

The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program is the only nationally validated quality improvement program that measures and enhances the care of surgical patients. It’s currently used in nearly 850 adult and pediatric hospitals. The program measures the actual surgical results 30 days postoperatively and adjusts risk factors of cases based on differences among patient populations and acuity levels. The goal of the program is to reduce surgical deaths and provide surgeons with best-practice procedures.

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of surgical patients. The college is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America, and the organization accounts for more than 80,000 surgeon members worldwide.

For a full list of recognized hospitals, visit https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/acs-nsqip/meritorious