MidState Medical Center Awarded Certification for Knee, Hip Replacement Program
May 27, 2015
MidState Medical Center has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval for its Knee and Hip Replacement Program, having demonstrated compliance with The Joint Commission's national standards for healthcare quality and safety in disease-specific care.
The certification award recognizes MidState's dedication to continuous compliance with the commission's standards.
Earlier this year, the hospital had a rigorous on-site review by a Joint Commission expert who evaluated MidState for compliance with standards of care specific to patients' and families' needs. These included infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.
"This award confirms our Joint Center's dedication to providing the best care to our patients having joint replacement surgery. This is facilitated by a team approach in which the patient is guided through the system effortlessly with proper preoperative education, excellent hospital care and appropriate rehabilitation after surgery," said Joint Program Medical Director and orthopedic surgeon Craig Foster, M.D.
MidState offers the latest techniques in hip and knee replacements, extensive patient education, and comprehensive post-surgical care and rehabilitation.
"Joint Commission certification says to our patients and families that we've achieved something prestigious," said Dr. Foster, noting the survey included a rigorous review of the knee and hip replacement program's processes, improvement measures, staff competency and care coordination. "This recognition acknowledges the efforts of our team in demonstrating our commitment to maintaining excellence and continually improving the care we provide to the community."
Among the unit's initiatives have been data collection; an emphasis on best practice of joint replacement patients going home with home care services (e.g., physical therapy, visiting nurse) vs. to a rehabilitation facility; patient education, including the creation of an online pre-operative class – the first online education class to be offered to patients - and an updated patient education guidebook; and implementation of a baseball-themed patient pathway used to help joint replacement patients achieve progressive goals - bases - starting on day of surgery.
The knee is the most common joint replaced and surgery replaces diseased or damaged parts of the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (lower leg bone) and worn cartilage. For patients whose knees have been only partially affected by osteoarthritis, MidState offers partial knee replacement. During hip replacement surgery, diseased and damaged parts of the hip joint are replaced with specially designed metal and plastic "ball and socket" parts. Patients benefit from advances in surgical techniques that include smaller incisions and new technology.
The Joint Commission's Disease-Specific Care Certification Program, launched in 2002, is designed to evaluate clinical programs across the continuum of care. Certification requirements address three core areas: compliance with consensus-based national standards; effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care; and an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission, founded in 1951, is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.