Laboratory Department Earns The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval
Uvalde Memorial Hospital’s laboratory department has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval®for Laboratory Services Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its 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.
The UMH laboratory department underwent a rigorous, unannounced on-site survey in May 2019. During the review, a team of Joint Commission expert surveyors evaluated compliance with laboratory standards related to several areas, including document and process control, healthcare-associated conditions, risk reduction, and staff qualifications and competency. The surveyor also conducted on-site observations and interviews.
“We are pleased to receive accreditation from The Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation,” stated Cristina Evans, director of laboratory at UMH. “Our staff continue to work together to develop and implement approaches and strategies that have the potential to improve care for the patients in our community.”
“As a private accreditor, The Join Commission surveys health care organizations to protect the public by identifying deficiencies in care and working with those organizations to correct them as quickly and sustainably as possible.” Says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive, The Joint Commission. “We commend UMH laboratory for its continuous quality improvement efforts in patient safety and quality of care.”
The Joint Commission has accredited hospital laboratory services since 1979 and freestanding laboratories since 1995. More than 1,500 organizations, including laboratories in hospitals, reference labs, blood transfusion and donor centers, public health laboratories, and point-of-care test sites, currently maintain Laboratory Services Accreditation from The Joint Commission, awarded for a two-year cycle.
The Joint Commission’s laboratory 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 organizations measure, assess and improve performance.