Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, is the first hospital to be certified by The Joint Commission for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement.
The advanced certification means Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is committed to providing care in a safe and efficient manner for its patients undergoing a total joint replacement of the hip or knee, TJC reports.
TJC reviewers evaluated the program on April 7, 2016, assessing the quality of procedures associated with the orthopedic consultation, pre-operative procedures, intraoperative and post-surgical care of the patient, and orthopedic surgeon follow-up care. Announcing the certification, TJC said the hospital provides “an unparalleled advantage when it comes to providing coordinated and comprehensive care that addresses patient needs from the time of their initial consultation to their post-surgical follow-up care.”
The Joint Commission Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement focuses on the continuum of care and transitions that occur within each phase of care, education of the total hip and total knee replacement patient, shared decision-making that includes the patient throughout the continuum of care, and consistent communication and collaboration between all health care providers throughout the continuum of care.
Hospitals, critical access hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers are eligible for the two-year advanced certification.
TJC Eliminates 225 Requirements from Hospital Program
The Joint Commission recently approved the deletion of 225 requirements from its hospital program, in most cases because they have become routine parts of operations and clinical practice. Others were already covered under other elements of performance (EPs).
The majority of the — 131 — are effective July 1, 2016, and 94 relating to duplicative restraint and seclusion standards become effective in January 2017 and are discussed below. None of the deletions are connected to Medicare Conditions of Participation.
TJC says the deletions are not expected to change organizations’ current patient care process or affect quality and safety, according to the TJC announcement. Each requirement has an assigned rationale that explains the reason for that requirement’s deletion. These deletions are the result of a multi-phase project to improve the accreditation and certification process, TJC says.
The list of deleted requirements, along with rationales and discussion, is available online at http://bit.ly/1XY3ZcX.
