In the fifth report on the quality of care provided by hospitals in the United States, The Joint Commission shifts its focus to performance on accountability measures—evidence-based, easily measurable metrics that are strongly linked to patient outcomes and have minimal potential for harm. By these metrics, the overall quality of care has improved since 2007 for patients undergoing surgery, and for patients hospitalized with myocardial infarctions, pneumonia, and asthma (in children). Dr. Mark Chassin, the president of the Joint Commission, discussed the organization's approach to improving patient safety and quality in a 2009 AHRQ WebM&M perspective.