(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) – The Total Joint Center at The Miriam Hospital has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval® for its total knee and total hip replacement programs. The certification recognizes the Total Joint Center's compliance with national standards for health care quality and safety in a disease-specific care set by The Joint Commission. It also acknowledges the center's dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission's state-of-the-art standards.
"Achieving The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval is a terrific show of support for the unprecedented integrated way we deliver total joint replacement surgery at The Miriam Hospital," said John A. Froehlich, M.D., program director of the Total Joint Center. "In using the most advanced technologies and with our ongoing commitment to meeting high standards, the Total Joint Center reflects our dedication to providing exceptional multi-faceted medical and surgical services, and personalized, patient-centered care."
To receive this designation, The Miriam Hospital's Total Joint Center recently underwent a rigorous on-site review that evaluated its compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of patients and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management. Certification requirements address three core areas: compliance with consensus-based national standards; effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care; and an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities. The Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization, is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.
Now in its third year, the Total Joint Center at The Miriam Hospital is a program of the Orthopedic Institute at Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals that focuses on patient education, patient satisfaction, exceptional surgical technique and nursing care, and consistent post-operative therapy in a welcoming, comforting setting. The center invests in the most advanced and current technologies and equipment to meet high targets on quality measures. More than 1,300 joint procedures were performed in 2013.
"The Total Joint Center program is unparalleled in the region," said Gary M. Ferguson, M.D., clinical director of the Total Joint Center. "The combined expertise we offer enables us to deliver our patients a comprehensive and seamless continuum of care."
The Total Joint Center has also been recognized by Aetna as an Institute of Quality for Hip and Knee Replacement, and designated as a Blue Cross Center of Distinction and a United Health Care Specialty Center for Joint Replacement.
Launched in 2002, The Joint Commission's Disease-Specific Care Certification Program is designed to evaluate clinical programs across the continuum of care.
About The Miriam Hospital
The Miriam Hospital is a 247-bed, not-for-profit teaching hospital affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. It offers expertise in cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, men's health, and minimally invasive surgery and is home to the state's first Joint Commission-certified Stroke Center and robotic surgery program. The hospital, which received more than $23 million in external research funding last year, is nationally known for its HIV/AIDS and behavioral and preventive medicine research, including weight control, physical activity and smoking cessation. The Miriam Hospital has been awarded Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Services four times and is a founding member of the Lifespan health system. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@MiriamHospital) and Pinterest.