Fresno Heart & Surgical gets distinguished accreditation
The Joint Commission awarded accreditation to Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital after an unannounced 3-day audit in which inspectors praised the medical and hospital staff’s care, professionalism and teamwork. Surveyors were also impressed with the hospital’s hotel-like environment with private suites large enough to accommodate patients’ overnight guests.
The Joint Commission, an independent not-for-profit, is the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting organization, evaluating nearly 15,000 health care organizations and programs. The Joint Commission’s comprehensive accreditation is recognized nationwide as a symbol of excellence that reflects an organization’s commitment to patient safety, quality and delivery of critical care services. Commission audits use a “tracer methodology” that focuses on the direct care of the patient from admission throughout the stay to discharge.
Wanda Holderman, chief executive officer of Fresno Heart & Surgical, likened the accreditation process “to an accounting firm undergoing financial audits. We have an opportunity to present evidence and assurance that we are striving to continuously monitor hospital activities and implement improvement strategies.”
Holderman said she was delighted and thanked the hospital staff for their work to successfully complete this initial accreditation audit. “We are very proud of the efforts that have culminated in this accomplishment,” she said. “Preparation for an event like this is significant and could not have been accomplished without a concerted team effort by many medical and hospital staff at all levels in the organization and colleagues at the corporate offices.”
Holderman noted that such accreditation also “raises the bar for organizations to continually improve, be vigilant about monitoring daily operations and systems, and validates our continuous improvement efforts.”
Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital is committed to continuing to meet rigorous national standards, including the National Patient Safety Goals, said Holderman. “We are excited to be awarded accreditation,” she added, “as consumers and payors are continuing to raise expectations for organizations to have this distinction. Payors like Blue Cross will not consider designating an institution as a ‘Center of Excellence’ without the Joint Commission accreditation especially in areas like cardiovascular and bariatrics.”
This story was reported by Erin Kennedy. She can be reached at ekennedy@communitymedical.org.