[caption id="attachment_23733" align="alignright" width="200"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/HEALTH-JRC-patient-Zaryczny-with-wife-Theodora.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-23733" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/HEALTH-JRC-patient-Zaryczny-with-wife-Theodora-200x300.jpg" alt="Beaufort Memorial Joint Replacement Center patient Wlodzimierz Zaryczny takes his first long walk, accompanied by his wife Theodora, after his recent knee replacement." width="200" height="300" /></a> Beaufort Memorial Joint Replacement Center patient Wlodzimierz Zaryczny takes his first long walk, accompanied by his wife Theodora, after his recent knee replacement.[/caption]

Less than two years after opening its innovative Joint Replacement Center, Beaufort Memorial Hospital has received The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for hip and knee replacement. The coveted disease-specific certification was awarded to BMH following a rigorous one-day, on-site review June 5 by a Joint Commission surveyor specializing in orthopedics.

“It takes a great deal of teamwork and financial resources to meet the standards of quality, patient safety and service required by The Joint Commission,” said Shawna Doran, BMH Director of Quality and Regulatory Affairs. “Achieving certification demonstrates our commitment to providing hip and knee replacement patients with the highest level of care.”

BMH had to submit four months of data to The Joint Commission prior to the on-site evaluation. During the all-day visit, the surveyor assessed Beaufort Memorial’s clinical practice guidelines and performance measures to ensure compliance with national evidence-based standards.

“She looked at the framework of our program, standardization in quality of care and the cohesiveness of the entire orthopedic team from the pre-op nurse liaison to the discharge planner,” said BMH Orthopedic Care Coordinator Andrea Sadler. “After interviewing the staff, she spoke with all five of the patients who were being treated in the center to validate that we had actually done what we reported.

The surveyor, who performs evaluations of orthopedic programs all over the country, found no deficiencies at BMH and issued no requirements for improvement.

“Joint Commission certification provides an objective assessment of clinical excellence,” Sadler said. “Not only does it give patients confidence in the quality and safety of a program, it’s becoming a prerequisite for some insurance carriers to contract with hospitals for selected services.”

Beaufort Memorial is only the 12th health care facility in the state to receive disease-specific care certification in knee and hip replacement from The Joint Commission, the premier health care accrediting body in the nation. The certification is awarded for a two-year period. BMH opened its Joint Replacement Center Aug. 5, 2013 to provide a unique patient-centered focus of care for total joint patients. To date, more than 850 patients have completed the program, which has also been recognized as a Blue Distinction Center for Hip and Knee Replacement by Blue Cross &amp; Blue Shield.