Hospital awarded recertification of two of key service areas, stroke and joint & spine

(Memphis, Tenn. – December 19, 2016) Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for hospital accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Joint Commission recently awarded recertification of two of the hospital’s key service areas, stroke and joint and spine. The joint and spine accreditation was hips and knees program specific. The Gold Seal of Approval® is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.

Saint Francis Hospital - Memphis underwent a rigorous, onsite survey this past month to earn these certifications. 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 onsite observations and interviews.

“Joint Commission accreditation provides hospitals with the processes needed to improve in a variety of areas from the enhancement of staff education to the improvement of daily business operations,” said Mark G. Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Division of Accreditation and Certification Operations, The Joint Commission. “In addition, our accreditation helps hospitals enhance their risk management and risk reduction strategies. We commend Saint Francis Hospital - Memphis for its efforts to become a quality improvement organization.”

“We are pleased to again receive accreditation from The Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation,” added Audrey Gregory, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis. “I am extremely proud of our employees who continue to work together to develop and implement approaches to improve care for the patients in our community.”

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.