GILROY
– Saint Louise Regional Hospital provides quality and safe
health care, based on standards reviewed by a national health care
accrediting body.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – Saint Louise Regional Hospital provides quality and safe health care, based on standards reviewed by a national health care accrediting body. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations gave the hospital 96 out of a possible 100 points, an A grade, following a two-day review last week
“I am proud of the excellent services, superb physicians, dedicated volunteers and outstanding associates at Saint Louise Regional Hospital,” said Ted Fox, Saint Louise’s chief executive officer. “This is further proof of an organization-wide commitment to the communities we serve and the Mission of the Daughters of Charity.”
The Joint Commission – the country’s oldest, largest health care accrediting body – conducted an on-site evaluation of the hospital as part of an accreditation renewal process conducted Nov. 3 and 4. The evaluation is based on more than 500 standards addressing quality and safety of care, including infection control, emergency management, patient rights, human resources and performance improvement.
“(Inspectors) come in and they go through every single aspect that you can think of in the hospital,” said Vivian Smith, public information officer for the hospital.
Inspectors from the Joint Commission, as well as the state health department and Institute for Medical Quality, reviewed hospital and patient records, interviewed doctors, staff and hospital administration and physically inspected all areas of the facility, including the pharmacy.
The official report will not be available for another four months, a representative from the Joint Commission said, but inspectors did announce the final score.
“The community should be proud that Saint Louise Regional Hospital is focusing on the most challenging goal – to continuously raise the quality and safety to higher levels,” said Kurt Patton, executive director of the Joint Commission’s hospital accreditation program.
Accreditation lasts three years and is a voluntary process.
Saint Louise received its first accreditation in 2000, with a score of 88 and requirements for improvement. Last March, the hospital’s status was improved to full compliance.
“The Joint Commission always gives an opportunity to correct any deficiencies, and then they come back and score again,” Smith said. “With a 96, it’s hard to do much better. I’ve been in medicine for a long time, and this is an outstanding score.”
