By demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety, Saint Anthony’s Hospital, Saint Anthony’s Medical Equipment, Saint Anthony’s Medical Mall and Saint Anthony’s Home Health Care have earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™.
“We sought accreditation for our organization because we want to demonstrate our commitment to our patients’ safety and quality care,” said E.J. Kuiper, CEO/President. “We view obtaining Joint Commission accreditation as another step toward achieving excellence.”
“Above all, the national standards are intended to stimulate continuous, systematic and organization-wide improvement in an organization’s performance and the outcomes of care,” says Mark Pelletier, R.N., M.S, executive director, Hospital Programs, Accreditation and Certification Services, The Joint Commission. “The community should be proud that Saint Anthony’s is focusing on the most challenging goal - to continuously raise quality and safety to higher levels.”
The Joint Commission conducted an unannounced, on-site evaluation of Saint Anthony’s Hospital, Saint Anthony’s Medical Equipment, Saint Anthony’s Medical Mall and Saint Anthony’s Home Health Care on December 8-12, 2008. The accreditation award recognizes Saint Anthony’s dedication to complying with the Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards on a continuous basis. This award excludes the skilled nursing unit at Saint Clare’s Hospital, which is surveyed by the Illinois Department of Public Health on an unannounced annual basis.
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 more than 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.
Saint Anthony's Health Center is a 229-bed health care organization with dual campuses-Saint Anthony’s Hospital and Saint Clare’s Hospital- encompassing specialized inpatient and outpatient services. With over 150 physicians on its Medical Staff, Saint Anthony's Health Center offers a free physician referral service for the community: 463-1234.