Mount Pleasant, S.C. (June 24, 2009) – East Cooper Regional Medical Center’s Disease Specific Care for Advanced Inpatient Diabetes has earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ for health care quality from The Joint Commission. The certification was awarded in addition to the previous certifications received by the hospital for pneumonia, heart failure, advanced stroke, and laminectomy.
To earn this distinction, a disease management program undergoes an extensive, unannounced, on-site evaluation by a team of Joint Commission reviewers every two years. The program is evaluated against Joint Commission standards through an assessment of a program’s processes, the program’s ability to evaluate and improve care within its own organization, and interviews with patients and staff.
“This certification means East Cooper Regional Medical Center does the right things for diabetes inpatients and does them well,” says Jean E. Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q., executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, Joint Commission.
“East Cooper Regional Medical Center voluntarily pursued this comprehensive, independent evaluation, as well as that for stroke, pneumonia, laminectomy and heart failure, to enhance the safety and quality of care we provide,” says Janie Sinacore-Jaberg, East Cooper Regional Medical Center CEO. “We’re proud to have achieved all of these distinctions.”
The Joint Commission launched its Disease-Specific Care Certification program in 2002. It is the first program of its kind in the country to certify disease management programs. A list of programs certified by the Joint Commission is available at www.jointcommission.org.
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. 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 about the Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.
ABOUT EAST COOPER REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
East Cooper Regional Medical Center, part of Tenet South Carolina, is a 104-bed acute care hospital located at 1200 Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of the East Cooper Community for 23 years. East Cooper Regional Medical Center provides a number of services, including 24-hour emergency care, women’s and children’s services, diagnostic imaging services, orthopedics, sports medicine, pain care, adult and pediatric rehabilitation services, wound care services and surgical care, including nationally recognized spine surgery and breast reconstruction surgery. East Cooper Regional Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. To learn more about East Cooper Regional Medical Center, visit www.eastcoopermedctr.com
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