By demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission‘s national standards for health care quality and safety, Cary Medical Center, in Caribou, has earned the Gold Seal of Approval.
“We sought accreditation for our organization because we want to demonstrate our commitment to patient safety and quality care,” saids, Kris Doody, R.N. and CEO of Cary Medical Center. “We view obtaining Joint Commission accreditation as another step toward achieving excellence.”
The Joint Commission conducted an unannounced, on-site evaluation of Cary Medical Center on May 18-20. The accreditation award recognizes Cary’s dedication to complying with the Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards on a continuous basis.
“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,” stated Mark Pelletier, R.N., M.S, executive director, Hospital Programs, Accreditation and Certification Services, The Joint Commission. “The community should be proud that Cary Medical Center is focusing on the most challenging goal — to continuously raise quality and safety to higher levels.”
Regan Gallagher, O.D., president of the medical staff at Cary said that the Joint Commission survey is comprehensive and has become a learning experience for health care providers as well as an assessment of how the hospital matches up to recognized standards of quality and patient safety.
“The Joint Commission survey is a valuable learning tool for the hospital’s said Dr. Gallagher, who participated in various aspects of the survey process involving the hospital’s medical staff. “The surveyors visit many hospitals around the nation and can share best practices or emerging new trends. The dialogue is constructive and helps the medical staff get a real picture of their quality and patient safety program. We are very pleased with the high marks given to our medical staff and our entire organization.”
The Joint Commission also interviews members of the hospitals board of directors during the three-day survey. Members of the board and administration are asked to respond to specific questions on the board’s involvement in the hospital’s quality program and overall communications.
Rob Kieffer, chairman of the board at Cary Medical Center described the conversations with the survey team as open and dynamic.
“The Board of Directors at Cary Medical Center takes clinical quality and patient safety very seriously,” said Kieffer who participated in the survey interviews. “I believe that members of our board effectively communicated to the surveyors that we are actively involved in quality and patient safety and that these issues are routinely discussed at our regular board meetings. Board members are active on hospital committees and attend department managers meetings on a monthly basis. The discussion with the survey team also demonstrated the positive relationship between the board, medical staff and administration.”
In summing up the Joint Commission survey, Doody praised all of the staff at the hospital suggesting it takes a team effort to earn the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal. “There are so many people who work at the hospital behind the scenes and often or rarely come in contact with patients but the part they play in our overall quality and patient safety goals is critical to us. I am so proud of the team we have built here at Cary and it is because of our combined efforts that we experienced such a positive Joint Commission Survey which led to this Gold Seal Award of Accreditation.”
