Rockdale Medical Center was named a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures by the Joint Commission, a leading accreditor of hospitals in the country. RMC received this distinction for exemplary evidence-based care in four of four applicable areas: Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Pneumonia, and Surgical Care.

RMC CEO Deborah Armstrong said during Wednesday's announcement, "This is something every single person in our hospital can be proud of. This does not happen without every single member of our hospital."

"To be recognized by The Joint Commission as a Top Performer hospital is a testament to the high quality care provided by Rockdale Medical Center physicians and staff. It reaffirms to the citizens in our community and surrounding areas that they can receive excellent care, now at a nationally recognized hospital, right here at home. We have been providing great care in this community since 1954, and we continue to look for ways to bring the best care to those who need our services. We appreciate the support we receive from the community and it is an honor to be able to share this national recognition with them."

Quality Control Management Director Susan Hallman, RN, said "It's been a long hard journey... It takes a village. It's just so important to have everyone behind you. It's the best care for the patient - evidence based care."

"I'm very proud of the quality staff and the nurse quality directors. The frontline staff are the face of quality in the hospital. That's who patients meet every day."

She added, "I have to thank LifePoint... They challenged us to be better. You give the staff a challenge, we rise to the occasion."

Only two other hospitals in the metro-Atlanta region also achieved Top Performer status on all four key areas - Gwinnett Hospital in Lawrenceville and North Fulton Medical Center. Only 35 hospitals in the state earned Top Performer status on at least one of the key areas. The distinctions were based on 2012 performance data.

Rockdale Medical Center was one of 1,099 hospitals nation-wide recognized for using evidence-based care processes closely linked to positive patient outcomes.

The "Top Performer on Key Quality Measurse" program is based on data reported about evidence-based care processes for certain conditions, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care, children's asthma, inpatient psychiatric services, stroke, venous thromboembolism, and immunization. The hospitals identified as attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability performance in 2012 represent approximately 33 percent of Joint Commission-accredited hospitals reporting accountability measure performance data. The Joint Commission's annual report also summarizes the performance of more than 3,300 Joint Commission accredited hospitals on 47 accountability measures.