Hamilton Medical Center Awarded Joint Commission Certification
2/10/2006

Keith Jennings
706.272.6118

Dalton, GA - Hamilton Medical Center’s primary stroke center program has earned the Gold Seal of Approval for health care quality. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations awarded Hamilton Medical Center Disease-Specific Care Certification for its primary stroke center.

To earn this distinction, a disease management program undergoes an extensive on-site evaluation review by a team of Joint Commission reviewers once every two years. The program is evaluated against Joint Commission standards through an assessment of a program’s processes, the program’s ability to evaluate and improve care within its own organization and interviews with patients and staff.

“This certification means Hamilton Medical Center does the right things and does them well for stroke patients,” says Charles A. Mowll, executive vice president, Business Development, Government and External Relations, Joint Commission.

“We voluntarily pursued this comprehensive, independent evaluation to enhance the safety and quality of care we provide,” says John Bowling, President and CEO of Hamilton Health Care System. “We are proud to achieve this distinction.”

Hamilton Medical’s stroke program, Code Stroke, was initiated in 2003 to provide expedient, quality care to all stroke patients in order to protect as much brain tissue as possible. A key role that Hamilton plays through the Code Stroke program is educating the public on the warning signs of stroke: 1) numbness or weakness usually on one side of the body, 2) difficulty speaking, 3) sudden difficulty with balance or walking, 4) sudden change in vision or 5) severe headache with no known cause.

“As we entered the new year, the realities of stroke were evident through the reappearance of Dick Clark for his New Year's Eve show and the stroke suffered by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon,” said Bowling.

The Joint Commission launched its Disease-Specific Care Certification program in 2002. It is the first program of its kind in the country to certify disease management programs. A list of Joint Commission-certified programs is available at www. jcaho.org.

Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the U.S., including more than 7,800 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 7,300 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. In addition, the Joint Commission provides certification of disease-specific care programs and primary stroke centers. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.

Hamilton. Health Care Syst. | About HMC | Health & Wellness | Health Plans | Giving Opps. | Online Gift Shop | Volunteers | Employment | The Baby Page | For Vendors Only | For Media Only | For Physicians Only | Se Habla Español | Physician's Directory