MCHD awarded Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation from Joint Commission

March 31, 2022

MCHD awarded Ambulatory Health Care Accreditation from Joint Commission

MOBILE, Ala. — The Mobile County Health Department (MCHD) has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Ambulatory Health Care and Primary Care Medical Home by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care.

MCHD underwent a rigorous, unannounced onsite review in September 2021. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission surveyors evaluated compliance with ambulatory care standards spanning several areas. Included was coordination of care, monitoring for procedures that involve use of sedation, infection prevention and control, management of medications, and patient education and training.

Established in 1975, The Joint Commission program encourages high quality patient care in all types of freestanding ambulatory care facilities. An estimated 2,100 organizations currently maintain Ambulatory Care Accreditation, which is awarded for a three-year period.

“As a private accreditor, The Joint Commission surveys health care organizations to protect the public by identifying deficiencies in care and working with those organizations to correct them as quickly and sustainably as possible,” said Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer of Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive of The Joint Commission. “We commend the Mobile County Health Department for its continuous quality improvement efforts in patient safety and quality of care.”

The Joint Commission’s ambulatory health care standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measure experts and patients. The standards are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help organizations measure, assess, and improve performance.