PHILADELPHIA - Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PPMC) has earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ from The Joint Commission for its hip and knee joint replacement services. PPMC's certification is the first of its kind for Penn Medicine, and demonstrates the hospital's high level of compliance with The Joint Commission's national standards for health care quality and safety. Orthopaedic joint replacement programs are certified by The Joint Commission under the standards for Disease-Specific Care programs. The award reinforces the value Penn Orthopaedics at PPMC places on continuous compliance with the most advanced joint replacement standards.
Obtaining certification from The Joint Commission guarantees that a joint replacement program is performing at the top standards of patient safety, quality and service. To date, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center is one of only 21 hospitals in Pennsylvania with the distinction.
"By working to exceed the national standards set by The Joint Commission, we're ultimately providing better care and more positive outcomes for our joint replacement patients," said L. Scott Levin, MD, FACS, chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Penn Medicine, and the Paul B. Magnuson Professor of Bone and Joint Surgery. "This Gold Seal of Approval recognition sets our programs apart from others by emphasizing our dedication to providing patients with the best practices, treatments and procedures."
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center received certification after a rigorous on-site visit by a team of surveyors from the Joint Commission. The survey evaluated the department for compliance on strict standards of care specific to the needs of patients and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.
"This certification validates not only our commitment to providing superior care to our patients, but also our ability to work as a cohesive team," said Eric Hume, MD, associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Penn Medicine, who coordinated the certification process with The Joint Commission. "We want our patients to feel confident in the care they are receiving at PPMC at every stage. The process of attaining the recognition allowed us the opportunity to further improve our interactions with other departments so we can continue our focus on strengthening the overall patient experience."
Launched in 2002, The Joint Commission's Disease-Specific Care Certification Program is designed to evaluate clinical programs across the continuum of care. Certification requirements address three core areas: compliance with consensus-based national standards; effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care; and an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities. Joint replacement programs that successfully demonstrate compliance in all three areas are awarded certification for a two-year period.
Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.
The Perelman School of Medicine is currently ranked #2 in U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $479.3 million awarded in the 2011 fiscal year.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital — the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2011, Penn Medicine provided $854 million to benefit our community.