As the Joint Commission completed its exit interview Nov. 4, ending its four-day unannounced accreditation survey of The University of Toledo Medical Center, UT hospital officials said the visit was one of the best they’d been a part of and were incredibly proud of UTMC staff.
“The hard work of so many people at UTMC to provide the highest quality of patient care every day of the year ensures that when the Joint Commission visits to evaluate us on behalf of all our patients, we’re ready for the very thorough scrutiny of our clinical enterprise,” said Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, chancellor, executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs, and dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences. “While we won’t have the final report for several weeks, the survey visit was one that would be expected of one of the top 100 academic health centers in the nation.”
Gold thanked Joint Commission Surveyors Dr. Daniel H. Booth, Thomas W. Davis, Gina Holiway, Marvetta Price and Brian Saul for taking the time to work with UTMC team members to offer advice on how great care at UT could be even better.
“This was an excellent learning opportunity,” Gold said. “We’ve already implemented many of the surveyors’ suggestions and have plans to implement more.”
The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 health-care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation’s predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.
While at UTMC, surveyors reviewed patient care procedures and clinical record keeping policies, visited patient care areas, and interviewed staff, hospital leadership and UT trustees among dozens more evaluations.
“I want to thank everyone for their hard work,” said Dr. Scott Scarborough, senior vice president and executive director of UTMC. “The quality of care we provide was clearly evident to the surveyors, and it is that commitment to our patients that is responsible for the strong reputation UTMC has throughout the region.”
UT President Lloyd Jacobs also thanked the Joint Commission surveyors for their hard work.
“It was a pleasure to have the Joint Commission at The University of Toledo last week,” Jacobs said. “Great university medical centers set the bar for health care in the regions they serve, and this visit highlighted that UTMC continues to provide leadership in this area.”
A full Joint Commission reaccreditation lasts for three years.
