Trinity’s total joint replacement program earns Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval July 21, 2010

Trinity’s total joint replacement program has earned the Gold Seal of Approval for health care quality from The Joint Commission. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 17,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards. The Joint Commission awarded Trinity its Disease-Specific Care Certification for knee and hip replacement surgery at both its Bettendorf and Rock Island locations, effective July 1. To become certified, hospitals must demonstrate three things: compliance with consensus-based national standards of care, effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care and an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities. To earn this distinction, a disease management program undergoes an extensive, unannounced, on-site evaluation by a team of Joint Commission reviewers every two years. “This certification means Trinity does the right things and does them well for its joint replacement patients,” says Jean E. Range, MS, RN, CPHQ, executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, Joint Commission. Trinity – which performed 950 hip and knee replacement surgeries in 2009 – voluntarily pursued the comprehensive, independent evaluation from Joint Commission. Earlier this year Trinity’s Rock Island and Bettendorf campuses also achieved designation by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association as a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip ReplacementSM. Trinity is the only hospital to have earned both designations in the Quad-Cities. “Having not one but two seals of approval gives validation to the guidelines we’ve already established to achieve the highest quality results,” said Rick Seidler, Trinity President and CEO. “It lets our hip and knee replacement patients know they’ve chosen a facility that places an emphasis on using the best evidence out there to guide our clinical decisions and ultimately, their outcome.” The Joint Commission launched its Disease-Specific Care Certification program in 2002. It is the first program of its kind in the country to certify disease management programs. A list of programs certified by the Joint Commission is available at www.jointcommission.org. 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 17,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 9,500 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,300 other health care organizations that provide long term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. In addition, The Joint Commission also provides certification of more than 1,000 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. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org. -#-

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