| NORTHAMPTON — Cooley Dickinson Hospital recently underwent a four-day, unannounced survey by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The hospital has since received notification that it successfully achieved reaccreditation for another three years.
Over the four days, a four-member survey team inspected all clinical areas of the hospital, including the ER, the Kittredge Surgery Center, and inpatient units, and visited the laboratory, rehabilitation sites, and other outpatient facilities. The surveyors interviewed staff to evaluate how care is delivered at Cooley Dickinson. They also reviewed the organization’s protocols in patient safety, patient rights and responsibilities, infection prevention, emergency preparedness and management, performance improvement, and documentation.
“The survey results demonstrate our relentless focus on providing quality care at an increasingly professional standard,” says Leesa-Lee Keith, chief nursing officer and survey coordinator. “We are pleased with the final report and are extremely proud of what our staff continues to accomplish.”
Keith says the Joint Commission’s approach focuses on the care of Cooley Dickinson’s patients. “The surveyors use patient tracers, a series of steps to carefully and thoroughly review how we deliver care. While we are pleased with the results of the survey, we also know that improving care is an ongoing process.”
The Joint Commission, a nonprofit organization that evaluates and accredits health care organizations and programs in the U.S., aims to help improve the quality of medical care across the nation by accrediting organizations that meet specific standards after completion of a thorough inspection.
Beth Monaco, manager patient safety and standards compliance and coordinator of the Joint Commission survey, said the hospital’s renewed accreditation demonstrates CDH’s compliance with best practices in health care. Monaco credits the success of the survey to the hospital’s front-line staff. “Cooley Dickinson’s employees were the strength and the positive force behind this successful survey,” she said.
In addition to the survey conducted at the hospital, the surveyors also inspected Cooley Dickinson’s satellite facilities in Amherst, Easthampton, Florence, Hadley, Northampton, South Deerfield, and Worthington.
The receipt of the Joint Commission’s final report indicates that Cooley Dickinson’s accreditation is good through March 2013. |
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