By Don Cowan, senior director of Corporate Communications and Amanda Sounart, associate editor
Setting the standards for quality care and positive outcomes, The Joint Commission only awards their coveted Gold Seal of Approval™ to the best companies and facilities in the healthcare field. Placing each of the prospective seal recipients through a rigorous review of their clinical standards, service delivery and information management, the reward for this arduous process is the ability to offer patients the comfort of knowing they are in the hands of the highest quality healthcare professionals.
In 2005, AMN Healthcare was the first company in the United States to be certified under The Joint Commission's corporate certification. Just weeks ago, the company announced that it had been re-certified by The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and continues to earn the Commission's gold seal.
In addition to being recognized for their continued efforts in quality nurse staffing, for the first time, AMN's certification now includes its allied division: Med Travelers. Through Med Travelers, hospitals, clinics and medical offices can fill positions for therapists, radiologists, medical technicians and more, all offering the same high-caliber quality and competency of the travel nurses staffed by AMN.
"We are pleased that The Joint Commission's review and evaluation has led to our re-certification," said Marcia Faller, RN, MSN, AMN's chief clinical officer & executive vice president of operations. "This re-certification provides hospital clients and healthcare professionals across the nation with an even greater level of confidence that AMN Healthcare's processes meet rigorous requirements that are important for delivery of quality patient care."
Before re-certification, AMN Healthcare and its nurse and allied divisions underwent an on-site review of its compliance with national standards addressing how staffing firms determine the qualifications and competency of their staff, how they place their staff and how they monitor staff's performance.
"Healthcare organizations that contract with AMN can look to this certification as an assurance that AMN demonstrates a commitment to providing and continuously improving quality services," said Michele Sacco, M.S., executive director of Health Care Staffing Services Certification at The Joint Commission.
The ongoing shortages of nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals have forced healthcare organizations to increasingly fill positions with temporary workers through contractual arrangements with staffing firms. The Joint Commission's certification program, launched in October 2004, offers an independent, comprehensive evaluation of a staffing firm's abilities to provide competent staffing services.
About The Joint Commission
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of healthcare accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in healthcare organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,800 other healthcare organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral healthcare, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. In addition, The Joint Commission provides certification of disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and healthcare staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.