Roane General Hospital has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval

 

Roane General Hospital is Joint Commission accredited. What does that mean?

 

The Joint Commission, founded in 1951, evaluates and accredits nearly 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. To earn and maintain The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval®, an organization undergoes an on-site survey by a Joint Commission survey team at least every three years.

 

Joint Commission accreditation:

 

• Helps organize and strengthen patient safety efforts – Patient safety and quality of care issues are at the forefront of Joint Commission standards and initiatives.  

• Strengthens community confidence in the quality and safety of care, treatment and services – Achieving accreditation makes a strong statement to the community about an organization’s efforts to provide the highest quality services.

• Improves risk management and risk reduction – Joint Commission standards focus on state-of-the-art performance improvement strategies that help health care organizations continuously improve the safety and quality of care, which can reduce the risk of error or low quality care. 

• Provides a customized, intensive review – Joint Commission surveyors come from a variety of health care industries and are assigned to organizations that match their background. The standards also are specific to each accreditation program so each survey is relevant to your industry.

• Enhances staff recruitment and development – Joint Commission accreditation can attract qualified personnel, who prefer to serve in an accredited organization. Accredited organizations also provide additional opportunities for staff to develop their skills and knowledge.

• Provides deeming authority for Medicare certification – Some accredited health care organizations qualify for Medicare and Medicaid certification without undergoing a separate government quality inspection, which eases the burdens of duplicative federal and state regulatory agency surveys.

• Provides a framework for organizational structure and management – Accreditation involves preparing for a survey and maintaining a high level of quality and compliance with the latest standards. Joint Commission accreditation provides guidance to an organization’s quality improvement efforts.

• May fulfill regulatory requirements in select states – Laws may require certain health care providers to acquire accreditation for their organization. Those organizations already accredited by The Joint Commission may be compliant and need not undergo any additional surveys or inspections.

• Provides practical tools to strengthen or maintain performance excellence –the Joint Commission helps find customized solutions for challenging health care problems.

• Aligns health care organizations with one of the most respected names in health care – Being accredited by The Joint Commission helps organizations position for the future of integrated care.

 

If you have any patient safety or quality of care concerns, RGH encourages you to contact the Quality and Patient Safety Department at (304) 927-6845. If you feel these concerns are unresolved, please contact Joint Commission toll free at (800) 994-6610.