Hospital Earns Gold Seal of Approval for Spine Surgery

MOUNT KISCO – Northern Westchester Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Disease-Specific Care Certification in Spine Surgery by demonstrating continuous compliance with The Joint Commission’s performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care.

The certification recognizes health care organizations that provide clinical programs across the continuum of care for Spine Surgery. The certification evaluates how organizations use clinical outcomes and performance measures to identify opportunities to improve care, as well as to educate and prepare patients and their caregivers for discharge.

Northern Westchester Hospital underwent a rigorous, onsite survey during which the team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with related certification standards, including: effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines through the continuum of care, organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities, as well as delivering and facilitating clinical care in compliance with national standards. Joint Commission standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. The reviewers also conducted onsite observations and interviews.

“Disease-Specific Care Certification in Spine Surgery recognizes health care organizations committed to fostering continuous quality improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive, The Joint Commission. “We commend Northern Westchester Hospital for using certification to reduce variation in its clinical processes and to strengthen its program structure and management framework for Spine Surgery patients.”

Dr. Marshal Peris, co-director of the Orthopedic and Spine Institute at Northern Westchester Hospital added, “We are proud of this achievement and will continue to hold our spine program to the rigorous standards of the Joint Commission, as part of our ongoing commitment to provide the highest level of patient centered care. We are particularly proud to be one of only three hospitals in New York State that are Certified in Spine Surgery.” The other certified hospitals are fellow Northwell Health facilities, North Shore University Hospital and South Shore University Hospital.

For more information on the Joint Commission Spine Certification, please visit The Joint Commission website.

For more information on Northern Westchester Hospital’s Orthopedic and Spine Institute, visit https://nwh.northwell.edu/orthopedic-spine-institute/spine.

About Northern Westchester Hospital
Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), a member of Northwell Health, provides quality, patient-centered care that is close to home through a unique combination of medical expertise, leading-edge technology, and a commitment to humanity. Over 700 highly-skilled physicians, state-of-the-art technology and professional staff of caregivers are all in place to ensure that you and your family receive treatment in a caring, respectful and nurturing environment. NWH has established extensive internal quality measurements that surpass the standards defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) National Hospital Quality Measures. Our high-quality standards help to ensure that the treatment you receive at NWH is among the best in the nation. For more information, please visit www.nwh.northwell.edu and connect with us on Facebook.

About Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, 830 outpatient facilities and more than 16,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 77,000 employees – 18,900 nurses and 4,800 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu.