Rockdale Medical Center today announced that it has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Laboratory Services Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal of Approval® is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.

Rockdale Medical Center underwent a rigorous, unannounced on-site survey in February 2016. During the review, a Joint Commission expert surveyor evaluated compliance with laboratory standards related to several areas, including document and process control, healthcare-associated conditions, risk reduction, and staff qualifications and competency. The surveyor also conducted on-site observations and interviews.

The Joint Commission has accredited hospital laboratory services since 1979 and freestanding laboratories since 1995. More than 1,500 organizations, including laboratories in hospitals, reference labs, blood transfusion and donor centers, public health laboratories, and point-of-care test sites, currently maintain Laboratory Services Accreditation from The Joint Commission, awarded for a two-year cycle.

“Joint Commission accreditation provides laboratories with the processes needed to improve in a variety of areas from specimen collection to result reporting,” said Stacy Olea, MT(ASCP), FACHE executive director, Laboratory Services Accreditation program, The Joint Commission. “We commend (name of organization) for its efforts to have laboratory services contribute and support the overall health care delivery system.”

“Rockdale Medical Center is pleased to receive accreditation from The Joint Commission, the premier healthcare quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation,” added Cliff Wilson, Assistant Administrator, Rockdale Medical Center, “but the work doesn’t stop there. Our excellent team of pathologists and other laboratory staff are continuously working together to develop and implement new approaches and strategies that will further enhance care for the patients in our community.”

The Joint Commission’s laboratory standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts, and patients. The standards are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help organizations measure, assess and improve performance.