Pennsylvania Hospital, one of the four hospitals in the University's Health System, was recently awarded the Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
The JCAHO, an independent, nonprofit organization that conducts evaluations of health care organizations around the country, awards the approval based on assessments it conducts once every three years.
There are over 500 standards a hospital is judged against, according to Mark Forstneger a JCAHO spokesman.
He said that the hospital is looked at "from top to bottom."
Each health care institution is surveyed by a team of three professionals -- a nurse, a physician and a hospital administrator -- over the course of three or four days.
The hospital is then scored out of 100. Pennsylvania Hospital, which is located at Spruce and 8th streets, received a score of 96.
The team checks for patient rights protection, quality and safety of care, medication use and an emergency plan, among other standards.
"During their visit, members of the survey team commented time and time again on the extraordinary level of cooperation, dedication and teamwork exemplified by our staff and physicians," Executive Director of Pennsylvania Hospital Timothy Morgan said in a press release.
"It is this collegiality and our staff's unending desire to provide excellent patient care that makes Pennsylvania Hospital such an exceptional place for patients, physicians and employees," he added.
In order to be accredited by the Joint Commission, a hospital has to score at least 90 out of 100 points. Eighty percent of hospitals in the United States are accredited, and the average score is a 92.
Of the four hospitals in the University Health System, two -- Pennsylvania Hospital and Presbyterian Hospital -- are accredited with "full standards compliance." The remaining two, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Phoenixville Hospital, have not been surveyed by JCAHO.
Other accolades that Pennsylvania Hospital has recently won include recognition for excellence in geriatrics by U.S. News and World Report in July 2003, and top-tier reviews by the Pennsylvania State Department of Health.
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