VALDOSTA —According to a statement from South Georgia Medical Center, the hospital has received approval for accreditation from the Joint Commission.
SGMC has been in the cross hairs of public criticism, and dealing with internal wrestling, for the last couple of years after controversial issues involving the possible loss of two popular cardiologists, the resignation of CEO C. Ross Berry, and the temporary denial of accreditation by the Joint Commission.
While SGMC never lost its accreditation, the hospital was issued a “temporary denial of accreditation,” “due to existence at the time of survey of a condition, which in the Joint Commission’s view, poses a threat to patients or other individuals served,” according to an email from Katie Looze Bronk of the Joint Commission.
The accreditation SGMC received is retroactive to November 2018, after the hospital underwent multiple rigorous reviews and inspections, after complying with performance standards. During visits from the Joint Commission, they reviewed SGMC’s compliance with standards of emergency management, infection prevention and control, leadership, environment of care, and medication management.
On Thursday, they announced that the hospital was awarded the “Gold Seal”, an award that shows SGMC’s commitment to the safety and quality care of their patients.
Chairman of the Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County, Sam Allen, said that the hospital has worked hard to receive this accreditation, correcting issues and hiring additional consultants.
“We’re excited that we are at this point, and we are going to continue to make sure that we offer the best quality health care anywhere in this area,” said Allen.
“As a private accreditor, The Joint Commission surveys healthcare organizations to protect the public by identifying deficiencies in care and working with those organizations to correct them as quickly and sustainably as possible,” said Joint Commission’s Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, COO, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive. “We commend SGMC for its continuous quality improvement efforts in patient safety and quality of care.”
Bill Forbes, who took the helm following Berry’s departure, first as interim CEO in August 2019, then as CEO in January 2019, had this to say:
“We are committed to high-quality, cost effective care as recognized by our 4-STAR rating with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and by numerous patient testimonials. We are pleased the dedication and hard work exhibited by our physicians and staff has been recognized by the Joint Commission.”
–SGMC CEO Bill Forbes
