Methodist Women’s Hospital earns prestigious Gold Seal of Approval in perinatal care

Methodist Women’s Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval^® for Advanced Certification in Perinatal Care (ACPC) by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe and exceptional patient care. 

The Joint Commission uses standards and guidelines to manage and monitor aspects of perinatal care that are critical to improving and maintaining the health of moms and babies. The certification, which is awarded for a two-year period, recognizes Women’s Hospital’s efforts to achieve integrated, coordinated and patient-centered prenatal through postpartum care for complicated and uncomplicated pregnancies. 

Women’s Hospital – the region’s leader in births – underwent a rigorous onsite review, in which a team of Joint Commission representatives conducted interviews and observations. The reviewers evaluated compliance and performance before giving the hospital significantly high marks for various efficiencies, outcomes, patient experiences, and communication and collaboration trends among several disciplines.

“The Meaning of Care has long been our secret to success,” said Patty Bauer, vice president of Methodist Women’s Hospital. “Ever since Women’s Hospital opened its doors in 2010, we have worked tirelessly to not only develop, but improve our standards of care that so many facilities in the region strive to match. And we don’t keep them to ourselves. We’re passionate about educating other perinatal teams in best practices while providing outreach care and support in a number of communities that would otherwise be considered maternal care deserts.”

Women’s Hospital – which has continually achieved Perinatal Care Certification since 2015, when The Joint Commission began awarding such recognition – is home to the region’s largest neonatal intensive care unit and the largest group of board-certified maternal-fetal medicine specialists. These specialists work closely with referring physicians and area hospitals to help families achieve the healthiest pregnancy possible while working to ensure a most positive birth experience. 

“Advanced Certification in Perinatal Care recognizes health care organizations committed to striving for excellence and fostering continuous improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” says Ken Grubbs, DNP, MBA, RN, executive vice president of Accreditation and Certification Operations and chief nursing officer for The Joint Commission. “We commend Methodist Women’s Hospital for using The Joint Commission certification process to reduce variation in clinical processes and strengthen its clinical program to drive safer, higher quality and more compassionate care for individuals served.”

For more information, please visit The Joint Commission website.