Highland Hospital Press Room
Evarts Joint Center Awarded Certification
from the Joint Commission
Center at Highland Hospital is the only one in region to earn Gold Seal of Approval™ for health care quality in hip and knee joint replacement.
Rochester, N.Y., January 13, 2008
Highland Hospital’s Evarts Joint Center has earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ for health care quality from the Joint Commission, a national, not-for-profit health accrediting organization. The Joint Commission recently awarded the Evarts Joint Center its Disease-Specific Care Certification for Knee and Hip Replacement. The Evarts Joint Center is the only program in the region to receive this designation, and one of only two in New York State.
To earn this distinction, the Evarts Joint Center volunteered to undergo an extensive, on-site evaluation. A Joint Commission reviewer judged the center’s performance in meeting the Joint Commission’s rigorous quality and safety standards, and in demonstrating its ability to continuously evaluate and improve care. The reviewer followed several patients through their stay at Highland Hospital to observe the quality of care. She interviewed staff members, as well as patients, to gather information: she quizzed staff on the center’s patient care protocols, sought patient opinions on their care, and examined the center’s clinical practice guidelines and patient documentation to gauge staff’s adherence to quality standards. The Joint Commission will now re-examine the Evarts Joint Center every two years to re-qualify it for certification.
“This certification means the Evarts Joint Center does the right things and does them well for knee and hip replacement patients,” says Jean E. Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q., executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, Joint Commission.
“This is a huge accomplishment for us,” said Allen Boyd, Chief of Orthopaedics at Highland Hospital and Director of the Evarts Joint Center. “We voluntarily pursued this comprehensive, independent evaluation because we believe our approach to joint replacement delivers the most consistent, highest-quality patient outcomes,” he added. “We are a center of excellence for joint replacement – you achieve that by ensuring the entire facility and everyone in it is geared to delivering the best patient care. For example, Highland Hospital has built operating rooms tailored to joint replacement procedures. We have created a post-surgical unit dedicated to joint replacement patients. And we have a highly trained staff that works as a close-knit team to support our patients before, during and after their surgery.”
Boyd added, “Every person here who cares for a joint replacement patient in any way – whether it’s the transporter taking the patient to surgery; the surgeon, anesthesiologist and staff in the OR; the nurses and techs who deliver post-op care; the physical therapists who get the patient up and walking hours after surgery – every single person is specially trained in meeting the specific needs of joint replacement patients. Everyone here is focused on providing the highest level of care; all of us follow the same protocols to ensure consistent results and the best possible outcomes. That ability to consistently deliver quality, and that willingness to take a close look at your performance to continuously improve it, is what the Joint Commission was looking for. We’re very excited to achieve this distinction.”
“This is an important achievement for the Evarts Joint Center and Highland Hospital,” added Steven I. Goldstein, Chief Executive Officer of Highland Hospital and Strong Memorial Hospital. “The Joint Commission sets the national benchmark for health care quality. It inspires our nation’s health care organizations to implement the best medical practices to deliver the best patient outcomes possible. We’re proud to be a part of that – and we’re very proud of the staff at the Evarts Joint Center and Highland Hospital, who have made this achievement possible through their dedication to excellent patient care.”
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About the Evarts Joint Center
- The largest provider of joint replacements in the area
- Staffed by URMC faculty/fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeons and the leading private surgeons in the community
- Anesthesiologists who specialize in medication for joint replacement procedures, resulting in better pain management and reduced stress for patients
- A hospital unit dedicated to post-surgical care of joint replacement patients, with specially trained nurses and techs for excellent follow-up care
- In-unit rehab facilities, staffed by physical and occupational therapists who help patients get on their feet within hours of surgery and transition to home successfully.
For more about the Evarts Joint Center, go to www.joint.urmc.edu
About the Joint Commission
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. Headquartered near Chicago, the Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,800 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. In addition, the Joint Commission provides certification of disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and 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 at www.jointcommission.org.
About Highland Hospital
The hospital opened in 1889 as one of the first homeopathic hospitals in the United States. In 1921, Highland became the first hospital in the country to use insulin in the treatment of diabetes. Today, Highland is well-known for its comprehensive orthopedics services, women's services, nationally ranked geriatrics program, regional leading gastric bypass surgery center, extensive network of primary care physicians, newly renovated radiology department, medical/radiation oncology, cardiology, neurology, and much more. Learn more at www.highlandhospital.org
For Immediate Release
Contact: Barbara Ficarra
Director of Public Relations, Highland Hospital
(585) 341-6210
