Kent & Queen Anne's Hospital
Recent News

July 17, 2001

FOR RELEASE: Immediately

Hospital Receives Outstanding Evaluation
from Joint Commission

Kent & Queen Anne's Hospital has received a three-year accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JACHO) after a rigorous two-day on-site survey. This accreditation recognizes the hospital's performance in complying with national standards intended to help achieve the highest quality of patient care.

"In becoming accredited, Kent & Queen Anne's Hospital was evaluated against a high set of national standards," notes William R. Kirk, Jr, president and CEO. "Quality is the top priority for the hospital and the accreditation process strengthens our ongoing efforts to improve care for our patients. Obtaining Joint Commission accreditation is another step toward excellence."

The Joint Commission has been accrediting hospitals for more than 40 years. and Kent & Queen Anne's Hospital has been accredited since 1960. Its accreditation is a nationwide seal of approval that indicates a hospital meets high performance standards. Accreditation helps hospitals improve their performance, raise the level of patient care and demonstrate accountability in the rapidly changing health care marketplace. It demonstrates a hospital's commitment to providing high quality of care.

By seeking accreditation, an organization agrees to be measured against national standards set by health care professionals. An accredited organization substantially complies with Joint Commission standards and continuously makes efforts to improve the care and services it provides.

"The standards are intended to stimulate continuous, systematic and organization- wide improvement in the hospital's performance and the outcomes of care," says Linda J. Hickman, PhD, RN, vice president, patient care services. "Efforts to improve don't stop when the Joint Commission survey is over; meeting the standards and achieving excellence is a continuous process. Even though we did well today, we want to do better tomorrow."

The report that accompanies each accreditation decision is a valuable educational resource. It details areas for performance improvement and includes recommendations on how to meet the standards.
Kirk notes that accreditation is attainable only thorough cooperation and communication among staff members. "Everyone at Kent & Queen Anne's Hospital plays a vital role in working to meet these standards. Achieving a high score is a tribute to the skill, professionalism and hard work of our entire staff."

Donald F. Wierda, chairman of the Hospital's Board of Directors, participated in the survey as part of the leadership team. "I was very impressed with the detailed process and with the results the Hospital staff achieved. Our community should feel both confident and proud of the quality of health care services and the caliber of employees and physicians at this hospital."

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