SCH Awarded Total Joint Accreditation from the Joint Commission

The Stephens County Hospital recently announced that it has been re-certified by the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval, for its Joint Replacement – Hip and Knee Program.

The Gold Seal of Approval is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.

The hospital underwent a rigorous review of three competency areas, including: Compliance with consensus-based national standards; Effective and consistent use of appropriate, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the hip, knee or shoulder replacement patient population; and lastly, a collection and analysis of a minimum of four performance measures specific to the hip, knee, or shoulder replacement patient population.

Joint replacement programs that successfully demonstrate compliance in all three areas are awarded certification for a two-year period.

At the end of the first year, the organization is required to attest to its continued compliance with standards and provide evidence of performance improvement activities.

To maintain certification, the cycle repeats with an on-site review conducted every two years and a bi-annual submission of an acceptable assessment of compliance by the organization.

Joint replacement programs that are awarded these certifications stand out above the rest because they are committed to a higher standard of service.

Stephens County Hospital Chief Executive Officer Roger Forgey told WNEG News how proud he is that our local hospital can offer this caliber of healthcare to Stephens County.

Based on the review of the hospitals program it has been indicated that their facility could become a destination center for joint replacement.

Stephens County’s Joint Replacement program already pulls clientele from Nashville, Tennessee, the coast of South Carolina, and Southern North Carolina.

Dr. Christopher Vaughn and the team at Southern Rehab are providing above and beyond care and look forward to being reaccredited with the Advanced Certification in two years.

For questions, contact Director of PR and Marketing Samantha Richman at 706-282-4491.