You might have noticed that a gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission is displayed on our website, but you may not know what it means. The Joint Commission is a U.S. not-for-profit, independent organization that accredits and certifies health care organizations and programs. The Spine Institute Northwest earned their seal of approval by demonstrating continuous compliance with the nationally recognized standards developed by the Joint Commission. Displaying the gold seal on our site is just one way we announce our commitment to providing safe and effective care.
The Joint Commission is the United States’ oldest and largest accrediting body in healthcare, founded in 1951 and currently certifying roughly 20,100 healthcare organizations and programs. Established in 1975, their Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation Program certifies approximately 2,100 surgical centers across the U.S.
“Joint Commission accreditation provides ambulatory care organizations with the processes contributing to improvements in a variety of areas from the enhancement of staff education to the demonstration of leading practices within the ambulatory setting,” said Michael Kulczycki, M.B.A., CAE, executive director, Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation program, The Joint Commission. “We commend the Spine Institute Northwest for its efforts to become a quality improvement organization, and achieving this pinnacle demonstrating a commitment to patient safety and quality.”
In order to earn our accreditation, the Spine Institute Northwest had to undergo a rigorous, unannounced on-site survey. During this site visit, a team of expert surveyors from the Joint Commission evaluated our team’s compliance with ambulatory care standards related to a variety of areas, including coordination of care, monitoring for procedures that involve use of sedation or anesthesia, infection prevention and control, management of medications, and patient education and training. This isn’t a one-time visit; the Spine Institute Northwest will be visited by Joint Commission representatives no more than every three years to check that we are continuing to provide quality care.
The ambulatory health care standards used by the Joint Commission are continually evolving, and are developed in consultation with health care experts, providers, measurement experts, and patients. They are also informed by scientific literature and expert consensus, with the goal of helping healthcare organizations measure, assess, and improve performance.
We are proud of the contributions that every member of the Spine Institute Northwest team has made toward helping us earn this accreditation, and of the efforts they continue to make to provide all of our patients with quality care.