Joint Commission’s Gold Seal reflects ECMC’s level of care
Healthcare is full of unknowns. But when deciding which provider is best to address their healthcare needs skillfully and safely, patients and their families could use an objective system to judge which provider is best for them.
The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® Accreditation was established to assure a provider’s level of care and safety exceeds national standards, and to provide peace of mind to patients and their families by acknowledging providers that consistently provide this high level of care.
This past year, ECMC is honored to have earned full hospital accreditation under the Joint Commission’s established standards.
“This honor signifies that ECMC not only meets best practices and standards throughout our industry, but that we’re going beyond minimum standards to provide the safest healthcare for our patients,” says Charlene Ludlow, Senior Vice President of Nursing at ECMC.
A nationally recognized distinction earned by a select set of healthcare providers, The Gold Seal of Approval® shows an organization’s commitment to holding itself accountable to a high bar of quality and safety for those they serve. It’s not an easy level of approval to achieve. Commission visits are not scheduled far in advance, so providers always need to be ready for assessment.
With consistent procedures and practices in place, ECMC has demonstrated continuous compliance with Commission performance standards and has earned a symbol of quality that reflects its commitment to providing safe and quality patient care.
“The Joint Commission looks very closely at whether our level of care is meeting patients’ needs, and assesses if we’re effectively communicating with patients and their families,” says Ludlow. “This accreditation is certainly a reflection of everyone throughout our organization assuring care and communication are at their highest levels.”
This accreditation surveys many clinical areas throughout the medical center’s operations, and stands as a complete assessment of ECMC services and quality of care. In their assessment, Joint Commission officials highlighted specific service lines for their excellence and patient-first focus.
ECMC Trauma and Emergency Care scored particularly well, adhering to their responsibilities as a verified Level 1 Trauma Care Center by the American College of Surgeons. Care within the Regional Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health scored high, too, with its mental health, psychiatric, and substance use treatment services, regionally lauded treatment center, and safe, supportive environment factoring into its praise.
Other aspects of service that were recognized as exemplary included ECMC’s physical therapy services, as well as ambulatory services across all main service lines (such as cancer care, orthopedics, primary care, and more).
“Patients know that, when they come to us, they’re going to get care,” says Ludlow. “But where we stand out in this latest assessment is that we’re uniquely focused on making sure these patients get the right care through a combination of inpatient and outpatient services, or transitioning between both.”
This care is made possible by multiple factors, but is headlined by two specific aspects that also factored into ECMC’s Gold Seal: daily assessment of care and superior communication between personnel and patients.
Daily risk assessments performed by ECMC personnel ensure patients receive appropriate care and facilitate smooth transitions between inpatient and outpatient services. This is an extension of the preparation that guides all hospital services, but homing in on issues on a case-to-case basis allows ECMC to make every treatment plan personal.
Superior communication across the entire ECMC operation ties everything together. From staff coordination to utilizing patient feedback to improve services, interdisciplinary communication between doctors, nurses, and therapists is essential to both success of treatment and staying in step with the needs of patients and their families. This team approach helps to earn the trust of those across Western New York, and according to the Joint Commission’s assessment, its coordination is on par with the best healthcare providers across the U.S.
“We take great pride in being able to provide a very high level of care for our community,” says Ludlow. “Getting this Gold Seal is validation for our commitment to following consistent practices and procedures that help those in need, every day.”
To learn more about ECMC’s award-winning services, click here.