LightBridge Hospice & Palliative Care has been a Joint Commission accredited hospice since our inception in 2001. LightBridge is pleased to announce that this past year LightBridge passed its fourth accreditation and received the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal for patient care.
What is the Joint Commission? The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization that administers voluntary accreditation programs for hospitals, hospices and other healthcare organizations. The Joint Commission’s mission is 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 develops performance standards that address crucial elements of operation, such as patient care, medication safety, infection control and consumer rights.
To keep a Joint Commission accredited status, a healthcare organization is subject to an onsite evaluation performed by a Joint Commission survey group at least every three years. Joint Commission surveys are individually designed for organizations and are meant to guide and evaluate an organization's performance in the areas of patient safety, treatment and care quality.
What does Joint Commission accreditation mean? Accreditation by the Joint Commission means that our LightBridge staff has made an extra effort to review and improve the key areas that can affect the quality and safety of a patient’s care. The Joint commission program requirements strive to capture areas that most critically impact hospice care such as pain and medication management, reducing infections and improving communication among caregivers.
Accreditation by The Joint Commission is considered the gold standard in health care. Specially trained health care professionals who are experts in their fields reviewed how well our LightBridge staff:
• provided a safe environment for care
• educated patients about their risks and options
• protected patient rights, including privacy rights
• protected against infection
• planned for emergency situations
As the only accrediting organization to represent the entire continuum of healthcare, Joint Commission accredited hospices are immediately recognized for their deep abiding commitment to quality end of life care. Achieving the nationally respected “Gold Seal of Approval” signifies that LightBridge is a quality-oriented partner and that we deliver competent, compassionate coordinated end of life care.
