Hospital Earns Perfect Accreditation by Independent Review

November 2006

Willamette Valley Medical Center's accreditation has been reviewed with "no deficiencies," according to a report by the Joint Commission.

The Commission is an independent, not-for-profit accrediting body in healthcare with the mission of improving the safety and quality of care provided to the public. In addition to their rigorous reviews every three years, the Joint Commission launched a new program called the Periodic Performance Reviews (PPR).  The PPR process occurs yearly for all accredited hospitals. The mini check-up survey is conducted in a single day, reported Connie Pullen, Chief Quality Officer at Willamette Valley Medical Center. The purpose of the review is to make sure that a facility is still on track with all elements of accreditation.

Accreditation by the Joint Commission is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that indicates that an organization meets certain performance standards.  One of the Joint Commission's new key issues relates to how hospitals ensure the safety of all patients. "The Joint Commission is a 'watch dog' agency for consumers," explained Pullen. The accreditation survey team was thorough in their review process and their report includes results from: observing staff providing care; scrutinizing files, documents and equipment; talking with direct patient care providers, physicians and board members; and even random interviews with patients."Interviewing patients gives them a true measure of our quality," said Pullen.

Although such high accreditation ratings are rare, Pullen said she is not surprised that Willamette Valley Medical Center achieved such a high rating. "We have tremendous support from our staff, physicians and board members," explained Pullen. "We believe strongly that if you are going to seek the Joint Commission accreditation then you must follow the Joint Commission standards 365 days a year. Patient safety has always been a focus of Willamette Valley Medical Center long before the Joint Commission adopted its standards surrounding patient safety.""The Commission's accreditation is like earning the 'Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval' for hospitals," explained Rosemari Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Willamette Valley Medical Center. "And the fact that there were no deficiencies is strong affirmation that our staff and physicians do an outstanding job caring for our community every day."