University Health Shreveport has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for hospital accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its patient care and performance standards.
The Gold Seal of Approval® is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.
University Health underwent a rigorous and unannounced multi-day onsite survey as part of the review from The Joint Commission, the most respected, independent evaluation process in the nation.
During the review, a team of Joint Commission expert surveyors evaluated compliance with hospital standards related to several areas, including emergency management, environment of care, infection prevention and control, leadership, and medication management. Surveyors also conducted onsite observations and interviews. The accreditation is good for three years.
“University Health is pleased to receive accreditation from The Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation,” said Rod Williams, President of University Health’s Shreveport campus. “This underscores the incredible hard work and dedication of our employees, clinical staff and physicians to improve quality and safety for the patients we serve. This recognition demonstrates that under the leadership of the Biomedical Research Foundation (BRF), this former state-run charity hospital has taken its place as a hospital of choice for all citizens in North Louisiana.”
The Joint Commission has accredited hospitals for more than 60 years. More than 4,000 general, children’s, long-term acute, psychiatric, rehabilitation and specialty hospitals currently maintain accreditation from The Joint Commission, awarded for a three-year period. In addition, approximately 360 critical access hospitals maintain accreditation through a separate program.
“Joint Commission accreditation provides hospitals with the processes needed to improve in a variety of areas from the enhancement of staff education to the improvement of daily business operations,” said Mark G. Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Division of Accreditation and Certification Operations, The Joint Commission. “In addition, our accreditation helps hospitals enhance their risk management and risk reduction strategies. We commend University Health for its efforts to become a quality improvement organization.”
The Joint Commission’s hospital standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. The standards are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help hospitals measure, assess and improve performance.