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Berger Hospital, Home Health and Hospice Awarded Accreditation From Joint Commission

Circleville, OH -- February 24, 2004 By demonstrating compliance with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization's national standards for health care quality and safety, Berger Hospital, Berger Home Health and Hospice of Pickaway County have earned the Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval.

"We sought continued accreditation for our organization because we want to demonstrate our commitment to patient safety and quality care," said Larry Thornhill, Berger Health System CEO and President. "We view maintaining Joint Commission accreditation as a must toward achieving excellence."

"Above all, the national standards are intended to stimulate continuous, systematic and organization-wide improvement in an organization's performance and the outcome of care," says Kurt Patton, executive director, Hospital Accreditation Program, Joint Commission. "The community should be proud that Berger is focusing on the most challenging goal--to continuously raise quality and safety to higher levels."

The award of accreditation is for the three-year period ending November 2006.

Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 17,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including approximately 9,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and 8,000 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.