(New Brunswick, NJ) – Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Disease-Specific Care Certification for Spine Surgery 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.
The certification recognizes health care organizations that provide clinical programs across the continuum of care for spine surgery. The certification evaluates how organizations use clinical outcomes and performance measures to identify opportunities to improve care, as well as to educate and prepare patients and their caregivers for discharge.
RWJUH underwent a rigorous, onsite review on July 30, 2021. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with related certification standards including Clinical Information Management, Performance Measurement, Program Management, Supporting Self-Management, as well as Delivering and Facilitating Clinical Care. Joint Commission standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. The reviewers also conducted onsite observations and interviews.
“We are pleased that the Joint Commission has recognized our interprofessional Spine Surgery Team for the exceptional care that they provide,” said Charles Gatt, MD, Chair of Orthopedic Surgery, RWJUH and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “This certification is the direct result of the spirit of collaboration and shared commitment to providing the highest quality patient care that exists among our Neurosurgery, Orthopedic, Anesthesia and Nursing teams.”
Anil Nanda, MD, MPH, FACS added, “Safety and honest surgical indications are the hallmark of a center of spinal excellence.”
“The Gold Seal of Approval for Spine Surgery is extra special at RWJUH because it highlights a shared commitment to quality, highest standard of care, patient outcomes and teamwork in both the Neuro-spine and the Orthopedic-spine surgery programs,” said Bill Arnold, President and CEO, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. “I am pleased that The Joint Commission’s comprehensive survey of our program recognized these teams’ commitment to our patients.”
The RWJUH Neurosurgical and Orthopedic clinical teams prepared for the certification process by highlighting examples of team collaboration, innovative staff education modules that incorporate fun into learning and their extensive pain management program.
“Spine Surgery Certification recognizes health care organizations committed to fostering continuous quality improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” said Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive, The Joint Commission. “We commend RWJUH for using certification to reduce variation in its clinical processes and to strengthen its program structure and management framework for spine surgery patients.”
For more information, please visit The Joint Commission website.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), an RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is a 600-bed academic medical center that serves as the principal teaching hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, bariatric surgery and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). A Level 1 Trauma Center and the first designated Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.
RWJUH has been named among the best places to work in health care by Modern Healthcare magazine and received the Equity Care of Award as Top Hospital for Healthcare Diversity and Inclusion from the American Hospital Association. RWJUH Brunswick has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety, including the prestigious Magnet® Award for Nursing Excellence and “Most Wired” designation by Hospitals and Health Networks Magazine. The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has rated RWJUH among the nation’s best comprehensive cancer centers. For more Information visit us online at www.rwjbh.org/newbrunswick
Contact:
Peter Haigney
RWJUH Public Relations
732-937-8568