Hospital, programs receive Joint Commission accreditations

The Joint Commission has awarded Gold Seals of Approval and three-year accreditations to St. Joseph's Hospital in Breese and specific hospital programs for behavioral health and home care.

Honors were given after the hospital and both programs demonstrated compliance with the commission's national standards for healthcare quality and safety.

"The community should be proud that the hospital is focusing on the most challenging goal of all-to continuously raise quality and safety to higher levels," said Darlene Christiansen, executive director of the commission's Hospital Accreditation Program.

"Above all, the national standards are intended to stimulate continuous, systematic and organization-wide improvement in performance and outcomes of care," Christiansen said.

St. Joseph's in Breese has been accredited by the commission-previously The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations or JCAHO-for many years, said Jan Robert, hospital Quality Management director.

"We continue to seek accreditation to demonstrate our commitment to safety and quality care," Robert said. "We look at obtaining accreditation as another step toward achieving excellence."

To receive the Gold Seal of Approval, St. Joseph's in Breese had to satisfactorily meet 3389 standards, Robert said.

Of those, surveyors found 10 that needed to be addressed, Robert said. Most were corrected during the three-day on-site visit by the surveyors and none involved National Patient Safety Goals.

"Although there is no 'scoring,' we could score ourselves at 98.8 percent," Robert said. "Our receiving the Gold Seal of Approval is proof of a hospital-wide commitment to quality care on an on-going basis."

Surveyors also reviewed the hospital's Senior Renewal service under behavioral health standards and post-partum home visits by Women and Infants Center staff. Both programs met the appropriate standards and received accreditation and the Gold Seal of Approval.

Senior Renewal is an outpatient service for adults 60 years and over who are dealing with issues such as depression, anxiety and nerves. The WIC home visits provide a brief health review, an opportunity to ask questions and support for the family in caring for their new baby.

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States including more than 7,800 hospitals and home care organizations. As an independent, not-for-profit organization, the commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare.

For more information, contact Quality Management at 526-5454 or email Jan Robert.