Pictured L-R: Cesar Guerra, Director of Surgery; Javier Iruegas, Chief Executive Officer; Jose Marina, DO, Chief of Surgery and Director of The Joint Replacement Institute; and Veronica Olivarez, Manager of Surgery
For the second consecutive time, The Joint Replacement Institute at Mission Regional Medical Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for its Knee and Hip Replacement Surgery by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety in disease-specific care. The certification award recognizes Mission Regional Medical Center’s dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards.
The Joint Replacement Institute underwent a rigorous on-site review in April 2014. A Joint Commission expert evaluated the program for compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of patients and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.
“We’re very honored to receive this recognition once again, which ranks our hospital among some of the nation’s best for joint replacements,” said Javier Iruegas, CEO, Mission Regional Medical Center. “This designation is evidence that our staff have a commitment to provide the very best orthopedic care to our patients.”
“In achieving Joint Commission certification, The Joint Replacement Institute has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for its patients needing hip or knee replacement surgery,” says Jean Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q. executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, The Joint Commission. “Certification is a voluntary process and I commend Mission Regional Medical Center for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves.”
“By receiving The Joint Commission certification for the last 3 years and the HealthGrades Five Star Rating over the last 6 years, it shows MRMC’s commitment to quality orthopedic care. It is important for the community to realize that our results are being compared to all other providers in the United States and we are consistently in HealthGrades’ Top Ten Percent in the Nation,” said Jose Marina, DO, Chief of Surgery and Director of The Joint Replacement Institute. “Our results are comparable to major medical centers such as the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic. It takes a commitment to excellence from both hospital administration and clinical staff to achieve and maintain these results. We are always reevaluating our program in order to provide our patients with the most up-to-date and best care possible.
The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification Program, launched in 2002, is designed to evaluate clinical programs across the continuum of care. 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.
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.