Memorial Health has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for total knee and hip replacement programs. The Gold Seal of Approval is a symbol of quality that reflects the hospital’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.

“When you decide to have a major joint replacement surgery, such as hip or knee replacement, you need to know that you’ll have a good outcome. You can trust a program that has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval,” said Dr. Dow Hoffman, M.D., orthopedic surgeon.

Memorial Health underwent a rigorous on-site review in February. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with national disease-specific care standards as well as with knee and hip replacement-specific requirements. Clinical practice guidelines and performance measures also were assessed.

“These certifications are not based on a few recent outcomes. The Joint Commission reviews months and years of patient data to ensure that we consistently meet high standards for every single patient. That’s why we are particularly proud of these accolades,” said Dr. Chetan Deshpande, orthopedic surgeon.

Established in 2002 and awarded for a two-year period, The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification evaluates clinical programs across the continuum of care and addresses three core areas:

Compliance with consensus-based national standards;

Effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care; and

An organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities.