By GREGORY ZELLER //
A Long Island hospital has achieved an historic orthopedic milestone.
Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Hospital, a cornerstone component of Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Medical Center, has received all five orthopedic specialty certifications offered by the Joint Commission, a national 501(c)3 nonprofit that accredits 22,000-plus U.S. healthcare organizations.
The South Shore hospital becomes the first in the nation to earn the commission’s “orthopedic quintet,” with Joint Commission specialty certifications in advanced spine surgery, advanced total hip and knee replacement, total shoulder replacement, total ankle replacement and hip-fracture care surgeries.
The independent regulatory organization also accredits domestic healthcare organizations in several other categories – ranging from disease care to nursing standards – and maintains an international branch that accredits medical services around the world.
Jason Tan: Feel the love.
Before awarding its orthopedic specialty certifications, the Joint Commission analyzes a wide range of factors; safety, patient optimism, process efficiency and patients’ post-procedural quality of life are all in play.
Candidate hospitals must also submit reports on their orthopedic, nursing and rehabilitation procedures, while Joint Commission representatives conduct site inspections to review standards and processes, observe actual surgeries and otherwise measure care delivery.
The comprehensive certifications have become global benchmarks for excellence in patient care and surgical outcomes – and earning all five orthopedic specialty certifications is a true feather in the hospital’s cap, according to Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Orthopedics Chairman James Germano.
“Certifications like these are really to show the community how hard we work and how
committed we are to achieving the best in comprehensive orthopedic care,” Germano said Thursday.
Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Executive Director Jason Tan said the Joint commission’s extended visit to study LIJ’s methods proved just as beneficial for staffers at the 452-bed Valley Stream hospital, which merged with the North Shore Health System in 1997 to form the North Shore-LIJ Health System, which rebranded as Northwell Health in 2015.
Today, LIJ Valley Stream joins the Cohen Children’s Medical Center and the Zucker Hillside Hospital psychiatric facility as components of the thriving Long Island Jewish Medical Center – and that rewarding Joint Commission visit will reverberate through its halls for years to come, according to Tan.
“It has been incredibly meaningful for me to receive feedback from the various Joint
Commission reviewers who surveyed our program,” the executive director said in a statement. “Every single reviewer consistently said that they could feel the commitment, dedication and love our team members have for our patients and for this mission.”
