Union County Hospital earns lab accreditation
Union County Hospital in Anna has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Laboratory Services Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards.
The Gold Seal of Approval is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.
Union County Hospital underwent a rigorous on-site survey on April 5, 2018.
During the review, a Joint Commission expert surveyor evaluated compliance with laboratory standards related to several areas, including document and process control, health care-associated conditions, risk reduction, and staff qualifications and competency.
The surveyor also conducted on-site observations and interviews.
The Joint Commission has accredited hospital laboratory services since 1979 and freestanding laboratories since 1995.
More than 1,500 organizations, including laboratories in hospitals, reference labs, blood transfusion and donor centers, public health laboratories, and point-of-care test sites, currently maintain Laboratory Services Accreditation from The Joint Commission, awarded for a two-year cycle.
“Joint Commission accreditation provides laboratories with the processes needed to improve in a variety of areas from specimen collection to result reporting,” said Heather Hurley, executive director of laboratory business development for The Joint Commission.
“We commend Union County Hospital for its efforts to have laboratory services contribute and support the overall health care delivery system.”
“Union County Hospital is pleased to receive accreditation from The Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation,” Union County Hospital CEO Jim Farris said.
“Pathologists and other laboratory staff continue to work together to develop and implement approaches and strategies that have the potential to improve care for the patients in our community.”
The Joint Commission’s laboratory 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 organizations measure, assess and improve performance.