CMC receives Joint Commission reaccreditation

CROSSVILLE – Cumberland Medical Center (CMC) recently earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for hospital accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The hospital undergoes this review every three years.

This is CMC’s first reaccreditation visit since the hospital’s merger with Covenant Health in 2013/2014, said Jeremy Biggs, CMC chief administrative officer and president.

“This reinforces that our patients continue to benefit from the hospital’s processes,” he said. “I couldn’t be more pleased.”

CMC underwent an unannounced on-site survey with representatives from The Joint Commission as part of its periodic evaluation. During the review, a team of surveyors evaluated compliance with hospital standards in several areas, including emergency management, environment of care, infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management. Surveyors also conducted on-site observations and interviews.

“Earning The Joint Commission’s reaccreditation is very important to us,” Rebecca Foster, CMC chief nursing officer, said. “Our staff continues to work together to develop and implement approaches, which are proven health care best practices for our patients.”

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. 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, M.S., 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 Cumberland Medical Center for its efforts to become a quality improvement organization.”

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.

 

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