MarinHealth Medical Center Awarded Advanced Inpatient Diabetes Certification from The Joint Commission
The Gold Seal Award is a Symbol of Quality That Reflects a Healthcare Organization’s Commitment to Providing Safe and Quality Patient Care
MarinHealth announced today that MarinHealth Medical Center has been awarded The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Advanced Inpatient Diabetes Care. This designation can only be earned by a lengthy process of demonstrating continuous compliance with the rigorous performance standards of the Joint Commission and passing an intensive review process. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a healthcare organization’s commitment to providing the highest safety and quality patient care system wide.
The Joint Commission’s certification program recognizes healthcare organizations that provide unique advanced inpatient diabetes clinical programs across the continuum of care. The certification evaluates how organizations use clinical outcome data and performance measures to identify opportunities to improve care before and during hospitalization, as well as to educate and prepare patients and their caregivers for discharge.
MarinHealth underwent its Joint Commission certification review on March 19, 2021. During the visit, a Joint Commission reviewer evaluated compliance with related certification standards including program management, delivery of clinical care, supporting self-management, evaluation of clinical information management and performance measurements, which included over 150 specific elements. Joint Commission standards are developed in consultation with professional healthcare experts and organizations that publish standards of care such as the American Diabetes Association, as well as providers, measurement experts and patients. The reviewer also conducted virtual observations and interviews with patients and interdisciplinary staff in an intensive virtual visit.
“Advanced Inpatient Diabetes Certification recognizes healthcare organizations committed to fostering continuous quality improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, Chief Operating Officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and Chief Nursing Executive, The Joint Commission. “We commend MarinHealth Medical Center for using certification to reduce variation in its clinical processes and to strengthen its program structure and management framework for diabetes patients.”
Beyond the Medical Center walls, MarinHealth offers outpatient diabetes care through its Braden Diabetes Center. The Braden Diabetes Center empowers people with diabetes by providing the tools and techniques they need to live a healthier life, one step at a time. Approved by the American Diabetes Association as meeting the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education, the program includes preventive strategies, self-management skills, as well as clinical assessments for state of the art treatment and device management. The team at MarinHealth Braden Diabetes Center helps patients understand diabetes, make healthy choices, and learn to confidently manage their blood sugar in any situation with education classes, individual assessments and group support. It also serves as a bridge clinic to help hospitalized patients manage their diabetes after discharge until the next appointment with their ongoing primary care provider.
“Through their outstanding dedication, the incredible team at the Braden Diabetes Center have helped MarinHealth become one of the nation’s top healthcare resources for diabetes treatment and education,” said David G. Klein, MD, Chief Executive Officer, MarinHealth. “We are proud to have earned this certification and remain committed to providing our community with the expert care they deserve.”
MarinHealth’s Diabetes Care Program medical director, clinical manager, and glucose management team spent months preparing for the final certification review. Partnering with clinical nursing staff, ancillary departments including pharmacy, IT, laboratory, education and many more, as well as executive leadership, the organization was well prepared for a successful certification review. Numerous interdepartmental communications were delivered to prepare all employees, and data on our performance was collected and scrutinized for accuracy prior to submission to the Joint Commission. The final review was highly complementary of the program and in addition to awarding this certification, made special mention of our new Metabolic Care Unit for diabetes care in our new Progressive Care Unit as the only one The Joint Commission had seen so far!
For more information, please visit The Joint Commission website.
About MarinHealth
MarinHealth encompasses respected local healthcare resources that have served the Marin County community since 1952. Marin County residents appreciate Marin’s healthy lifestyle and transformative natural environment. In keeping with the values and needs of this unique community, MarinHealth is dedicated to treating the whole patient, mind, body, and spirit. MarinHealth Medical Center, the MarinHealth Medical Network, and their ancillary services all share the same patient-centric philosophy of care.
Media Contact
Jamie Maites
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Office: 1-415-925-7424
Mobile: 1-240-506-8556
Email: jamie.maites@mymarinhealth.org
