Thirteen Georgia hospitals earn high marks from a national accrediting agency.

The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.

There were 3,000 accredited hospitals that were eligible to be designated as top performers by The Joint Commission based on evidence-based process measures. Of the 3,000 eligible hospitals, 405 have been recognized..

Statesboro's East Georgia Regional Medical Center is among them.

“We understand that what matters most to our patients at East Georgia Regional Medical Center is safe, effective care,” says East Georgia CEO Bob Bigley. “That’s why East Georgia Regional Medical Center has made a commitment to accreditation and to positive patient outcomes through evidence-based care processes.”

The hospitals were recognized for achieving these thresholds for Heart Attack, Congestive Heart Failure, Pneumonia and Child Asthma Care.

“Today, the public expects transparency in the reporting of performance at the hospitals where they receive care, and The Joint Commission is shining a light on the top performing hospitals,” says Mark R. Chassin, M.D., FACP, M.P.P., M.P.H., President of The Joint Commission.

The 13 Georgia hospitals singled out by the Joint Commission are:

Atlanta Medical Center (Atlanta)
Doctors Hospital of Augusta (Augusta)
Higgins General Hospital (Breman)
Cartersville Medical Center (Cartersville)
Polk Medical Center (Cedartown)
Hughston Hospital (Columbus)
VA Medical Center of Atlanta (Atlanta)
Coliseum Northside Hospital (Macon)
Walton Regional Medical Center (Monroe)
North Fulton Regional Medical Center (Roswell)
East Georgia Regional Medical Center (Statesboro)
Tanner Medical Center of Villa Rica (Villa Rica)
Barrow Regional Medical Center (Winder)

A full explanation of the report are at .

Corrections: A previous version of this report stated that the quality report from Joint Commission determines how much money hospitals receive from federal health care programs. That is not a function of the Joint Commission. It is a function of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid, although both agencies evaluate hospitals for quality.

Tags: health care, U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Georgia hospitals, Statesboro, medicine, hospitals, GPB News, Joint Commission, East Georgia Regional Medical Center