WOODWARD REGIONAL HOSPITAL AWARDED
ACCREDITATION FROM JOINT COMMISSION
Woodward Regional Hospital once again has earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval ™ by demonstrating compliance with the organization’s national standards for health care quality and safety.
“Earning our patients’ trust is very important to us,” says Dave Wallace, hospital chief executive officer. “The accreditation is validation of our organization-wide commitment to provide quality care on an ongoing basis. Woodward Regional Hospital is a great community asset with a 94 year legacy of helping people get the care they need, right here at home.”
The hospital recently underwent a three-day, unannounced, thorough on-site review of the quality and safety of care being provided. According to Wallace, the hospital seeks accreditation “because we want to demonstrate our commitment to patients’ safety and quality care. We view obtaining Joint Commission accreditation as an independent audit of the actual delivery of critical services, not a review of policies.”
Chief quality officer and registered nurse, Kim Arnold, leads the hospital’s quality processes in partnership with the medical staff. “Ongoing physician and staff involvement in our quality measures and the accreditation process was vital to the success of the on-site survey,” says Arnold. “The Joint Commission’s methodology focuses on the direct care of the patient; they actually select current patients and trace their care through departments or services in the hospital.”
By doing this “tracer methodology”, surveyors can determine how well a hospital has implemented its policies and procedures. “Maintaining quality takes constant vigilance, investment and planning, and Woodward Regional is committed to doing what it takes to provide quality care to the community for generations to come,” she said.
“Above all, the national standards are intended to stimulate continuous, systematic and organization-wide improvement in an organization’s performance and the outcomes of care,” says Darlene Christiansen, executive director, Hospital Accreditation Program, Joint Commission. “The communities Woodward Regional Hospital serves should be proud that the organization is focusing on the most challenging goal – to continuously raise quality and safety to higher levels.”
Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission is dedicated to continuously improving the safety and quality of the nation’s health care through voluntary accreditation.