UPDATE:

VALDOSTA — South Georgia Medical Center has received the Joint Commission’s approval for hospital accreditation.

According to a SGMC statement released Thursday, the hospital demonstrated continuous compliance with its performance standards and was awarded the “Gold Seal,” a symbol of quality that reflects a health-care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care.

SGMC underwent a rigorous series of unannounced onsite reviews dating back to last November. The accreditation received is retroactive to November 2018. 

The local hospital never lost its accreditation; however, following the departure of former chief executive officer C. Ross Berry, the Joint Commission issued a preliminary denial of accreditation effective Sept. 17, 2018, “due to existence at the time of survey of a condition, which in the Joint Commission’s view, poses a threat to patients or other individuals served,” according to an email from Katie Looze Bronk, Joint Commission communications and media relations.

The Joint Commission accredits and certifies about 21,000 hospitals and health-care organizations across the U.S. Its accreditation and certification are considered to be a basic standard for hospitals.

Sam Allen, Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County chairman, said the hospital staff has been working hard for this accreditation.

Allen said everyone at the hospital has made sure issues leading to the preliminary denial have been corrected. The hospital hired additional consultants to visit and evaluate all its workings to make sure everything was up to date and accurate, he said.

“We’re excited that we are at this point, and we are going to continue to make sure that we offer the best quality health care anywhere in this area,” Allen said.

If the hospital had lost its accreditation, the situation at the hospital would have been dire. The path SGMC had to take to get accredited was difficult, but Allen said it was necessary.

“At the end of the day, South Georgia Medical Center is going to be a better hospital as a result of what we did go through,” Allen said.

During Joint Commission visits, a team of reviewers evaluated compliance with hospital standards spanning several areas including emergency management, environment of care, infection prevention and control, leadership, medication management and rights and responsibilities of the individual, according to hospital officials.

The Joint Commission’s standards are developed in consultation with health-care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients.

“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, the Joint Commission chief operating officer and chief nursing executive. “We commend SGMC for its continuous quality improvement efforts in patient safety and quality of care.”

For the future of the hospital, Allen said the search for a permanent CEO is ongoing and the suspension of the accreditation had no impact on hiring viable candidates.

He said the Joint Commission will continue to survey the hospital much in the same way, but he is confident the hospital is ready for whenever they show up.

“I’d like to congratulate staff, because they have worked extremely hard to get us to where we need to be and ensure that everything was corrected,” Allen said.

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VALDOSTA – South Georgia Medical Center has received The Joint Commission’s approval for hospital accreditation.

According to a SGMC statement, the hospital demonstrated continuous compliance with its performance standards and was awarded the “Gold Seal,” a symbol of quality that reflects a health-care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care.

SGMC underwent a rigorous series of unannounced onsite reviews dating back to last November. The accreditation received is retroactive to November 2018.

The local hospital had its accreditation suspended following the departure of former chief executive officer C. Ross Berry.

During the visits, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with hospital standards spanning several areas including: emergency management, environment of care, infection prevention and control, leadership, medication management and rights and responsibilities of the individual, according to hospital officials.

The Joint Commission’s standards are developed in consultation with health-care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients.

According to the statement, they are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help health-care organizations measure, assess and improve performance. The surveyors also conducted onsite observations and interviews.

“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, the Joint Commission chief operating officer and chief nursing executive. “We commend SGMC for its continuous quality improvement efforts in patient safety and quality of care.”

According to SGMC CEO Bill Forbes, the goal is for the organization to stay survey-ready.

“We are committed to high-quality, cost-effective care as recognized by our four-star rating with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and by numerous patient testimonials,” Forbes said in a statement. “We are pleased the dedication and hard work exhibited by our physicians and staff has been recognized by the Joint Commission.”