Hunterdon Medical Center Awarded Reaccreditation by the Joint Commission

Published October 13, 2008

Hunterdon Medical Center has been awarded reaccreditation by the Joint Commission, the nation’s predominant standards –setting and accrediting body in health care.  Accreditation signifies the hospital has achieved the organization’s high standards for quality, safety of care, treatment and services. 

The Joint Commission accreditation is done every 19-36 months and hospitals seeking the award must undergo a thorough, unannounced on-site survey by the commission’s accreditation team.  The survey objective is to evaluate the hospital, but to also provide education and guidance that will help staff continue to improve the hospital’s performance. 

The survey process evaluates actual care processes by tracing patients through the care, treatment and services they received.  It also analyzes key operational systems that directly impact the quality and safety of patient care.  

The Joint Commission has accredited hospitals for more than 50 years and today it accredits approximately 4,250 general, children’s, long term acute, psychiatric, rehabilitation and surgical specialty hospitals, and accredits 358 critical access hospitals maintaining a unique accreditation program for these organizations. Approximately 91 percent of the nation's hospitals are currently accredited by The Joint Commission.