Avera Sacred Heart Hospital Achieves Gold Standard In Quality
Contact Avera Sacred Heart Hospital: 605-668-8000
Avera Sacred Heart Hospital prides itself on providing the best quality care to the people of our region. One measure of quality includes accreditation by various commissions and organizations in a variety of fields.
Avera Sacred Heart Receives 3-Year JCAHO Accreditation
Avera Sacred Heart received accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) survey in Fall 2005. Considered the "Gold Standard" when it comes to measuring quality measures at health care facilities across the nation, Avera Sacred is the only facility in the Yankton region that participates in the voluntary survey.
Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission is dedicated to continuously improving the safety and quality of the nation’s health care through voluntary accreditation. The Joint Commission’s on-site survey of Avera Sacred Heart Hospital occurred in October 2005.
By participating in the strigent JCAHO survey, Avera Sacred Heart Hospital focuses on the most challenging goal – to continuously raise quality and safety to higher levels. The accreditation is proof of an organization-wide commitment to provide quality regional care on an ongoing basis.
Acute Rehabilitation Department Receives 3-Year CARF Accreditation
In Fall 2005, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) announced Avera Sacred Heart Hospital's Acute Rehab Department is accredited for a period of three years. The latest accreditation is the fifth consecutive three-year accreditation outcome that the international accrediting commission has awarded to Avera Sacred Heart Hospital.
This accreditation outcome represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows the organization's substantial conformance to the standards established by CARF. An organization receiving a three-year accreditation outcome has put itself through a rigorous peer review process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its programs and services are of the highest measurable and accountable quality.
CARF is an independent, not-for-profit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and no known as CARF, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services.
ASHH Laboratory College of American Pathologists Accreditation
Avera Sacred Heart Hospital's Laboratory Department is accredited by the Commission on Laboratory Accreditation of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) based on the results of an on-site inspection.
The CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program, begun in the early 1960s, is recognized by the federal government as being equal to or more stringent than the government’s own inspection program.
Avera Sacred Heart Hospital’s Laboratory Department is one of the more than 6,000 CAP-accredited labs nationwide.
Diagnostics & Imaging Department Receives MRI Accreditation
Avera Sacred Heart Hospital has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as the result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology.
The ACR, headquartered in Reston, Va., awards accreditation to facilities for the achievement of high practice standards after a peer-review evaluation of its practice. Evaluations are conducted by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. They assess the qualifications of the personnel and the adequacy of facility equipment. The surveyors report their finding to the ACR’s Committee on Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report.
ASHH Echocardiography Lab Earns 3-Year ICAEL Accreditation
The Avera Sacred Heart Hospital Cardiopulmonary Department is accredited by the Instersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL). The laboratory is one of the first 1,000 echo labs in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico to be so recognized for its commitment to high quality patient care and its provision of quality diagnostic testing.
The ICAEL was established with the support of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Society of Pediatric Echocardiography (SOPE) to provide a peer review mechanism to encourage and recognize the provision of quality echocardiographic diagnostic evaluations by a process of voluntary accreditation.
Avera Sacred Heart Cancer Center Receives Approval With Commendations from Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons
The Avera Sacred Heart Cancer Center has been recognized by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons as offering the very best in cancer care. Only one in four hospitals that treat cancer receive this special recognition and Avera Sacred Heart Cancer Center was awarded ”approval with commendations” for exceeding four of five standards.
The approval is the result of a thorough and rigorous review and on-site survey of the cancer program. The designation signifies the clinical expertise of the staff as well as the wide range of diagnostic, treatment and support services available. It also is an indicator that Avera Sacred Heart Cancer Center provides cancer care that meets or exceeds nationwide standards of quality.
Avera Sacred Heart’s cancer program began in 1995. The hospital voluntarily seeks evaluation and an on-site review every three years. The approvals program promotes collaboration among surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, pathologists and other cancer specialists. Receiving care at an approved cancer program offers patients comprehensive care including state-of-the-art services and equipment; a multidisciplinary, team approach for choosing the best treatment options available to cancer patients; access to clinical trials, education and support; lifelong follow-up through a cancer registry; and ongoing monitoring and improvement of care.
Darla Gullikson, RN, serves as Director of the ASHH Cancer Center which has a staff of seven.
Mobile Mammography Earns 3-Year ACR Accreditation
Avera Sacred Heart Hospital has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in Mobile Mammography as the result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology.
The ACR, headquartered in Reston, Va., awards accreditation to facilities for the achievement of high practice standards after a peer-review evaluation of its practice.The three-year accreditation received by Avera Sacred Heart is the longest term available. ASHH Mobile Mammography services 10 communities throughout southeast South Dakota and northeast Nebraska.
