FARMINGTON – Franklin Memorial Hospital announces it has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Hospital Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal of Approval is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.
On May 31, The Joint Commission arrived at Franklin Memorial Hospital to conduct an unannounced rigorous three-day survey to evaluate compliance with standards of care of all hospital inpatient departments, outpatient departments, and the Franklin Health practices.
During the review, a team of Joint Commission expert surveyors evaluated compliance with hospital standards related to several areas, including emergency management, environment of care, infection prevention and control, leadership, and medication management. Surveyors also conducted onsite observations and interviews.
The Joint Commission has accredited hospitals for more than 60 years. More than 4,000 general, children’s, long-term acute, psychiatric, rehabilitation, and specialty hospitals currently maintain accreditation from The Joint Commission, awarded for a three-year period. In addition, approximately 360 critical access hospitals maintain accreditation through a separate program.
“Joint Commission accreditation provides hospitals with the processes needed to improve in a variety of areas from the enhancement of staff education to the improvement of daily business operations,” said Mark G. Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Division of Accreditation and Certification Operations, The Joint Commission. “In addition, our accreditation helps hospitals enhance their risk management and risk reduction strategies. We commend FMH for its continued efforts in quality improvement.”
“We are pleased to have received full accreditation after completing an outstanding survey. The Joint Commission is the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation,” said Tim Churchill, FMH interim chief executive officer. “Staff from across our organization continue to work together to develop and implement approaches that have the potential to improve care. Our staff’s dedication and commitment to patients, their families, and each other was on full display for the surveyors who cited exceptional work in a number of departments.”
The Joint Commission’s hospital standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. The standards are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help hospitals measure, assess, and improve performance.
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 accredits and certifies more than 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, nonprofit 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.
It is difficult to pin down to what extent the prevailing practice in Farmington, which requires patients to recite their date of birth as often as asked, and which denies all health care to patients who decline to do this, is promoted by the Joint Commission. Certainly the local doctors and nurses SAY this is the case, and certainly the Joint Commission has promoted asking for dates of birth. But I have not spoken directly with the Joint Commission. It is difficult for me to believe that an organization devoted to “safe and effective care” would insist upon a policy that denies all health care to some patients merely because those patients exercise their right of free speech. That is what we have here at present among those practitioners who are members of FCHN. I have not been able to find a doctor since the retirement of Leslie Harding of Jay, a courageous doctor who used common sense and did not make bureaucratic demands. He retired 2.5 years ago. I cannot even obtain prescription medications that I have used for years with no ill effects and that served to protect me against osteoporosis: if this is the work of the Joint Commission they have not made me any safer.
Repeatedly reciting one’s date of birth is not normal communication. I have no objection if medical practitioners want to be sure of a patient’s identity, as might be the case if, of instance, they had in their records two different people named Mary Jones. But nobody else has my name, and no doctor has ever confused me with anybody else. (Millions of people have my date of birth, if that matters.)
I have read a good deal of what the Joint Commission says on this subject. I see nowhere any evidence that they care what a patient believes or feels. Patients are ignored while doctors are instructed how to treat us as inanimate objects. Many patients HATE the preoccupation with dates of birth but go along with it out of fear that otherwise they will lose their health care.
I’ll continue to drive the 30 miles to CMMC whenever I have an emergency.
2 “unique identifiers” are required to guarantee that YOU are receiving the care in what ever shape that may be. Would you rather have healthcare ask for your social security number, and have someone else overhear if you were to respond? If someone overhears your birthday the worst that might happen is they send you a card. This asking of a birthday is a great thing to help ensure your care, and if Dr. Harding and his office staff weren’t asking you for this information then shame on them! I have heard you questioning the need for your date of birth at Hannaford prior to your refusal to give it. Don’t think these individuals asking for this are doing it for their own jollies, they are doing it for your safety!
I too have an uncommon name, but I am glad I am asked for my date of birth, because you never know, and I am a firm believer in better safe than sorry.