Northern Louisiana Medical Center Awarded Accreditation From The Joint Commission
Ruston, Louisiana (August 22, 2008) — By demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety, Northern Louisiana Medical Center has earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval.
“We sought accreditation for our organization because we want to demonstrate our commitment to our patients’ safety and quality care,” says Mr. Doug Sills, CEO of Northern Louisiana Medical Center. “We view obtaining Joint Commission accreditation as just another step towards achieving excellence in patient care.”
The Joint Commission conducted a series of unannounced on-site evaluations, and on August 18th of 2008, the accreditation award recognized Northern Louisiana Medical Center’s dedication to complying with the Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards on a continuous basis.
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and (quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in healthcare organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,800 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. In addition, the Joint Commission provides certification of disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.
“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, The Joint Commission. “The community should be proud that Northern Louisiana Medical Center is focusing on the most challenging goal—to continuously raise the quality and safety to higher levels.”