New Milford Hospital

 Awarded ‘Gold Seal’ Accreditation

NEW MILFORD — New Milford Hospital announced June 12 that it has received the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission — one of the nation’s predominant health care standards and accrediting bodies. The hospital participated in the Joint Commission’s unannounced on-site survey in February 2007 and its award of accreditation is for the three-year period ending in March 2010.

Joint Commission accreditation means New Milford Hospital has demonstrated compliance with the highest national standards for patient safety and quality of care.

“Above all, the national standards are intended to stimulate continuous, systematic and organizationwide improvements in an organization’s performance and the outcomes of care,” said Darlene Christiansen, executive director, Hospital Accreditation Program, Joint Commission. “The community should be proud that New Milford Hospital is focusing on the most challenging goal — to continuously raise quality and safety to higher levels.”

New Milford Hospital’s President and CEO Joseph P. Frolkis, MD, PhD, said accreditation by The Joint Commission is a reflection of the quality and professionalism his staff works so hard to achieve.

“The successful accreditation represents the dedication and commitment of the entire hospital to meeting the highest standards of medical quality, safety, and patient-centered care,” he said.

“We seek voluntary accreditation for our hospital because we want to demonstrate our organizationwide commitment to quality care and patient safety on an ongoing basis,” added Susan Iovino, executive vice president and chief operating officer. “Our employees and medical staff appreciate the educational aspect of the survey and the opportunity to interact with the team of surveyors. We view obtaining Joint Commission accreditation as another step toward maintaining the overall excellence and high quality care our community expects from us.”

The accreditation process helps ensure hospitals across the nation provide safe, high-quality care, treatment and services by identifying opportunities for improvement in an organization’s processes, and by helping the organization follow through on and implement such improvements.