Frankfort Regional Medical Center has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval® for Certification for its Total Joint Replacement Program, for hip and knee replacement. The hospital earned this prestigious designation by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety in disease-specific care and is a demonstration of the hospital’s commitment to providing exceptional patient care.
The Joint Commission's Disease-Specific Care Certification Program, launched in 2002, is designed to evaluate clinical programs across the continuum of care, and is a voluntary process.
"Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement Certification is another step toward maintaining excellence and continually improving the care we provide to our patients,” said Chip Peal, Chief Executive Officer. “Achieving these high standards are the result of a highly talented and fully engaged team of orthopedic surgeons, nurses, therapists and support staff who focus each day on delivering the very best in patient care.”
“Pursuing this independent evaluation on behalf of our patients is an important thing for us to do, and we’re thrilled to have received the Joint Commission’s Seal of Approval,” said Joseph Dobner, MD, orthopedic surgeon. “It means that every team member involved in the joint replacement process is continually working to exceed the quality, safety and experience expectations of our patients.”
Certification Process
Certification requirements for joint replacement programs address three areas:
- Compliance with consensus-based national standards.
- Effective and consistent use of appropriate, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the hip, knee or shoulder replacement patient population.
- Collection and analysis of a minimum of four performance measures specific to the hip, knee or shoulder replacement patient population (a minimum of two performance measures must be clinical in nature.)
Joint replacement programs that successfully demonstrate compliance in all three areas are awarded certification for a two-year period. At the end of the first year, the organization is required to attest to its continued compliance with standards and provide evidence of performance improvement activities. To maintain certification, the cycle repeats with an on-site review conducted every two years and a bi-annual submission of an acceptable assessment of compliance by the organization.
Benefits of Certification
Joint replacement programs seek certification because it:
- Demonstrates commitment to a higher standard of service
- Provides a framework for organizational structure and management
- Provides a competitive edge in the marketplace
- Enhances staff recruitment and development
- Is recognized by insurers and other third parties.
For more information about The Joint Commission's Disease-Specific Care Certification Program, visit The Joint Commission.