West Virginia Hospitals-East Jefferson Memorial Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for accreditation by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety in hospitals. The accreditation award recognizes Jefferson Memorial Hospital’s dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards.
Jefferson Memorial Hospital underwent a rigorous unannounced on-site survey in July 2012. A team of Joint Commission expert surveyors evaluated Jefferson Memorial Hospital for compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of patients, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.
“In achieving Joint Commission accreditation, Jefferson Memorial Hospital has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for its patients,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, executive director, Hospital Programs, Accreditation and Certification Services, The Joint Commission. “Accreditation is a voluntary process and I commend Jefferson Memorial Hospital for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves.”
“With Joint Commission accreditation, we are making a significant investment in quality on a day-to-day basis from the top down. Joint Commission accreditation provides us a framework to take our organization to the next level and helps create a culture of excellence,” says Dr. Christina Coad, FACHE, Chief Administrative Officer at Jefferson Memorial Hospital. “Achieving Joint Commission accreditation, for our organization, is a major step toward maintaining excellence and continually improving the care we provide.”
The Joint Commission’s hospital standards address important functions relating to the care of patients and the management of hospitals. The standards are developed in consultation with health care experts, providers, measurement experts and patients.
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 10,300 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,500 other health care organizations that provide long term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services.
The Joint Commission currently certifies more than 2,000 disease-specific care programs, focused on the care of patients with chronic illnesses such as stroke, joint replacement, stroke rehabilitation, heart failure and many others. The Joint Commission also provides health care staffing services certification for more than 750 staffing offices. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.
