The staff of St. Luke’s Hospital has another reason to celebrate! Why? Because we recently achieved another successful survey by The Joint Commission, the leading accrediting agency for healthcare providers. St. Luke’s Hospital received the seal of approval for another three years.
“Wow! That’s amazing.” That’s what the surveyor with The Joint Commission said during the wrap-up meeting with staff from St. Luke’s Hospital. After three long days of inspection and a review of 276 standards of care, St. Luke’s Hospital had a successful survey with only two direct and nine indirect findings. The surveyors were extremely complimentary, and it was a very positive experience for everyone involved.
To ensure a hospital is meeting standards of care, The Joint Commission conducts a very stringent onsite review of a hospital’s level of performance in specific areas and provides us with standards of performance for all activities that affect the quality and safety of patient care. Standards ask these questions: “Is the hospital doing the right things? Is it doing them well?” And “Is patient care provided in a safe, secure environment?”
Everything we do — from patient registration to lab tests, from medication management to discharge instructions, from medical staff credentialing to managing the physical environment — is tested by these standards set forth by The Joint Commission.
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization and is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards.
Joint Commission surveyors spent three days in our hospital; one focused on our facility in meeting life-safety regulations while another reviewed our patient care using the medical record as a roadmap. She observed our staff, reviewed our documentation, asked questions and looked closely to see how our departments work together in supporting patient care.
Definitely, we’re pleased to have passed a very stringent review. Our community should take comfort in the knowledge that St. Luke’s Hospital provides exceptional care, close to home.