Staff Report

NEWBERRY — Newberry Hospital has earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Hospital Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards.

Bruce Baldwin, CEO at Newberry Hospital, said the hospital was pleased to received accreditation from The Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation.

“Staff from across the organization continue to work together to develop and implement approaches that have the potential to improve care for the patients in our community,” Baldwin said.

Newberry Hospital underwent a rigorous, unannounced on-site survey on March 26 and March 27 and April 8 and April 9. 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 on-site 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.

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.