HILO, Hawaii – Hilo Medical Center is announcing it has achieved a Gold Seal of Approval™ from The Joint Commission following an “unannounced on-site survey” in January.

The accreditation award shows the hospital is in compliance with the commission’s standards of care “specific to the needs of patients, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management”, according to an HMC media release.

The Joint Commission is said to be the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.

PRIMARY SOURCE: Media Release

Hilo , February 4, 2014 – Hilo Medical Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™ for accreditation by demonstrating compliance with commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety in hospitals. The 3-year accreditation award recognizes HMC’s dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards.

HMC underwent a rigorous, unannounced on-site survey January 28-31. A team of Joint Commission expert surveyors evaluated HMC for compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of patients, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.

“I’d just like to thank our dedicated team of professionals at Hilo Medical Center ,” said Tandy Newsome, RN, Quality Manager at Hilo Medical Center . “Whether their job is cook or nurse, physician or executive, all of our employees have the same goal when they come to work: to help provide the best possible environment and care for our patients.”

“I’ve been a nurse at Hilo Medical Center for almost 25 years,” said Newsome. “The improvements we have made in the last several years have been no less than remarkable. We want to assure our community that patient safety is our top priority, and maintaining The Joint Commission accreditation is one way to accomplish this.”

“In achieving Joint Commission accreditation, Hilo Medical Center has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for its patients,” says Mark G. Pelletier, R.N., M.S., chief operating officer, Division of Accreditation and Certification Operations, The Joint Commission. “Accreditation is a voluntary process and I commend Hilo Medical Center for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves.”

“Joint Commission accreditation provides us a framework to take our organization to the next level and helps create a culture of excellence,” said Howard N. Ainsley, East Hawaii Regional CEO of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation. “Achieving accreditation, for our organization, is an acknowledgement of our efforts to continually improve the care we provide. I thank everyone for their commitment to our hospital, patients and community.”

“I couldn’t have asked for a better survey,” said Dan Brinkman, Chief Nurse Executive at Hilo Medical Center. “The Joint Commission is pushing hospitals towards a culture of zero failure and high reliability and I believe we are on the right side of the spectrum.”

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States , including more than 10,600 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,600 other health care organizations that provide long term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also certifies more than 2,400 disease-specific care programs such as stroke, heart failure, joint replacement and stroke rehabilitation, and 400 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. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.Hilo Medical Center media release, Feb. 4, 2014