Day Kimball Hospital Receives National Recognition for Quality of Care

The Putnam-based hospital has earned The Joint Commission
Gold Seal of Approval™ for both its knee and hip joint replacement programs

PUTNAM, CONN. – Day Kimball Hospital, part of the Day Kimball Healthcare system, today announced it has earned a Gold Seal of Approval™ from The Joint Commission, a national accreditation organization, for both its knee and hip joint replacement programs. Day Kimball was recognized for meeting The Joint Commission’s national standards for healthcare quality and safety in disease-specific care, and is one of only four Connecticut hospitals to earn this recognition.

“We’re very pleased that the Day Kimball knee and hip joint replacement programs have been recognized by The Joint Commission,” said Robert E. Smanik, president and CEO, Day Kimball Healthcare. “These certifications are further validation that our continued efforts to deliver ‘top-of-class’ care are obtaining results.”

The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization that evaluates and accredits more than 19,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States, and its accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards. 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: 1) compliance with consensus-based national standards; 2) effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care; and, 3) an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities.

“In achieving Joint Commission certification, Day Kimball has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for its patients with hip and knee replacement conditions," says Jean Range, MS, RN, CPHQ, executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, The Joint Commission. “Certification is a voluntary process and I commend Day Kimball for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves.”

Day Kimball underwent a rigorous on-site survey in late March 2012. The Joint Commission surveyor evaluated Day Kimball for compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of patients and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.

“Some 30 Day Kimball and affiliated professionals in our knee and hip joint replacement programs have been working together for more than 2 years to help our patients access the care and education they need,” said Smanik.

Smanik explained that this collaboration takes place under “The Joint Academy of Northeast Connecticut,” a program that brings together Day Kimball services from primary care to orthopedic surgery to physical therapy. It connects Day Kimball providers with other community providers, with patients’ needs being the focal point.

“Our knee and hip joint replacement programs represent everything we are striving to do at Day Kimball Healthcare: deliver the best possible cohesive care, with the patient and their families at the center of everything we do,” concluded Smanik.

 

About Day Kimball Healthcare
Day Kimball Healthcare is a non-profit, integrated medical services network comprised of Day Kimball Hospital, healthcare centers in Danielson, Plainfield, Dayville, Thompson and Putnam, Day Kimball HomeCare, Hospice & Palliative Care of Northeastern CT, Day Kimball HomeMakers and Day Kimball Physician Practices. Its service area includes Northeast Connecticut as well as nearby Massachusetts and Rhode Island communities. Day Kimball Healthcare’s comprehensive network offers more than 1,200 employees including nearly 300 highly-skilled physicians, surgeons and specialists. Its website is www.daykimball.org.

About The Joint Commission
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 10,300 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,500 other health care organizations that provide long term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission currently certifies more than 2,000 disease-specific care programs, focused on the care of patients with chronic illnesses such as stroke, joint replacement, stroke rehabilitation, heart failure and many others. The Joint Commission also provides health care staffing services certification for more than 750 staffing offices. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.