May 2015, Morristown, NJ – Morristown Medical Center recently earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Wound Care Certification, highlighting not only the high quality of its services, but efforts to enhance them in years to come.
The Gold Seal of Approval® is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care. Morristown Medical Center’s Wound Healing Program underwent a rigorous on-site review in which Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with national disease-specific care standards as well as with wound care-specific requirements. Clinical practice guidelines and performance measures also were assessed.
Established in 2002 and awarded for a two-year period, The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification evaluates clinical programs across the continuum of care. As part of the review, Morristown Medical wound healing staff had to not only identify best practices in the field of wound care that produce success, but also highlight areas that can be improved or enhanced over the course of the two year period. This includes clinical as well as non-clinical issues.
"Morristown Medical Center’s Wound Healing Program has thoroughly demonstrated a high level of wound care,” said Wendi J. Roberts, RN, executive director, Certification Programs, The Joint Commission. “We commend Morristown Medical Center for becoming a leader in wound care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for wound care patients in its community.”
Among the best practices in place at Morristown Medical Center, the program focuses on early intervention to teach patients how to manage their nutrition, glycemic control and other factors that affect the success of their wound healing. One of the areas that the program improved was wait times, one of the most important factors affecting patient experiences throughout health care. Over a period of eight months, wound healing program staff improved wait times for patients between 60-90 percent.
“Our approach to healing goes beyond the treatment of physical wounds, said Robert Skerker, MD, medical director of the Wound Healing Program at Morristown Medical Center. “This certification highlights our commitment to not only providing the highest standard of care currently available, but also looking for ways that we can enhance the patient experience.”
The Wound Healing Program at Morristown Medical Center offers state-of-the-art hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), comprehensive case management from inpatient to outpatient care to manage the complex wound needs of each individual and inpatient consultation services. The Center has Certified Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses (CWOCN) who hold outpatient clinics for ostomy patients for appliance fittings, stomal markings and trouble-shooting. In 2007, the wound program became the first hyperbaric program in New Jersey to be accredited by the Under Sea and Hyperbaric Medical Society’s (UHMS). The Wound Healing Program is based at 435 South Street, which has pre-procedural testing, including X-ray and laboratory services on-site.
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 accredits and certifies nearly 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, nonprofit 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.
About Morristown Medical Center
Morristown Medical Center, located in Morristown, NJ, is part of Atlantic Health System, one of the largest non-profit health care systems in New Jersey, which also includes Overlook Medical Center in Summit, Newton Medical Center, Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains and Goryeb Children’s Hospital. Accredited by The Joint Commission, Morristown Medical Center was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top hospital nationwide for cardiology and heart surgery, gynecology, geriatrics, orthopedics and pulmonology. Morristown Medical Center also ranked as a “Best Regional Hospital” for cancer, diabetes & endocrinology, neurology and neurosurgery, as well as gastroenterology & GI Surgery, nephrology and urology. The Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute at Morristown Medical Center encompasses the largest cardiovascular program in New Jersey, performing more than 1,500 heart surgeries annually, more than any other cardiovascular facility in the state. Morristown Medical Center is verified as a Level I Regional Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons and designated a Level II by the state of New Jersey and was re-designated a Magnet Hospital for Excellence in Nursing Service, the highest level of recognition by American Nurses Credentialing Center for facilities that provide acute care services, a distinction awarded to less than five percent of U.S. hospitals.
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