Southampton Hospital Earns 'Gold Seal Of Approval'

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Southampton Hospital was awarded a feather in its proverbial cap; the facility announced this week that they have earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval for hospital accreditation.

The hospital earned the honor by "continuance 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," Southampton Hospital said in a release.

According to hospital representatives, Southampton Hospital underwent a "rigorous, unannounced onsite survey in April. 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 release said.

The Joint Commission has accredited hospitals for more than 60 years; 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, the release explained.

“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 Southampton Hospital for its efforts to become a quality improvement organization.”

“Southampton Hospital is pleased to receive accreditation from The Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation,” added Robert S. Chaloner, president and CEO of Southampton Hospital. “Providing the best possible patient care is always our focus and our staff continues to work together to develop and implement approaches that can improve both care and patient experience.”