Newswise — August 30, 2018 ― Brick, NJ ― Hackensack Meridian Health Ocean Medical Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for expertise in Colorectal Cancer, a distinct status within New Jersey and the nation. Ocean Medical Center is one of two hospitals in New Jersey to currently hold Colorectal Cancer Certification, an exceptional distinction that only three hospitals in the country have earned. The John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center also holds this certification.
“This is a phenomenal distinction that demonstrates the advanced care, forward-thinking treatment options, and patient-centered services coordinated and delivered by an expert team each and every day,” says Dean Lin, MBA, FACHE, FCPP, regional president of Hackensack Meridian Health and president of Ocean Medical Center. “I am so proud of the entire team and this outstanding achievement. We truly have one of the best colorectal cancer programs in the country.”
The Gold Seal of Approval® is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care. Ocean Medical Center underwent a rigorous on-site review last month led by oncology nurse navigator, Kathy Martin. Under her leadership, the oncology team developed the colorectal cancer program based on the essential needs of patients and the community. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with national disease-specific care standards as well as with colon-specific requirements. Clinical practice guidelines and performance measures also were assessed.
“This elite national and state status thoroughly demonstrates the culture of excellence at Ocean Medical Center and speaks to our innovative, patient centric multidisciplinary team approach we offer cancer patients through the entire continuum of their care, all with the benefits of being close to home,” says colon and rectal surgeon, Thomas R. Lake, M.D., FACS, FASCRS. “We’re proud to be a leader in colorectal cancer care, not just in New Jersey, but in the nation as a whole.
Established in 2002 and awarded for a two-year period, The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification evaluates clinical programs across the continuum of care and addresses three core areas:
- Compliance with consensus-based national standards;
- Effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care; and
- An organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities.
“Ocean Medical Center has thoroughly demonstrated a high level of care for patients with colorectal cancer,” said Patrick Phelan, executive director, Hospital Business Development, The Joint Commission. “We commend Ocean Medical Center for becoming a leader in colorectal cancer care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for colorectal patients in its community.”
Ocean Medical Center has also earned three additional disease site certifications from the Joint Commission in Joint Replacement, Stroke and Palliative Care.
The Joint Commission
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.
ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH OCEAN MEDICAL CENTER Located in Brick, Hackensack Meridian Health Ocean Medical Center has been ranked #8 in New Jersey and #17 in the New York Metro area by U.S. News & World Report in 2016-17 and 2017-18. Serving southern Monmouth and Ocean counties, Ocean Medical Center is an advanced care hospital that offers the convenience and easy access of a community hospital with the high technology advances and expertise of a major medical center featuring expert care coordinated by a team of top specialists in emergency, cardio vascular, women’s health, cancer and orthopedic services. Delivering on this promise, Ocean Medical Center recently opened an innovative medical-surgical floor equipped with 36 private patient beds that integrates technology and design to transform the patient experience and empower patients to return to their lives as soon as possible. This forward thinking renovation project completed the $82 million expansion including the 44,300 square foot state-of-the-art Hirair and Anna Hovnanian Emergency Care Center and a new comprehensive Cancer Center. Ocean Medical Center officially became a premier community-based teaching hospital with the launch of its inaugural class of family medicine and psychiatry residents. Future medical education developments include the addition of an Internal Medicine residency program in spring 2019. The medical center provides 24/7 obstetrical hospitalist coverage and a dedicated obstetrical emergency department to enhance the continuity of care for women and their infants. Certified by the Joint Commission as an accredited orthopedic program, Ocean Medical Center is a designation for orthopedic joint replacements where more than 1,000 joint replacements are done annually. Other key services include: designation as a Primary Stroke Center; brain lab neurological surgery, DaTscan and advanced imaging technology; da Vinci robotic surgery; general thoracic and vascular surgery; one of the nation’s most advanced cardiac catheterization laboratories and cardiac services; acute care of the elderly; and critical care services. The medical center has achieved Magnet® recognition, one of the highest and most prestigious distinctions a health care organization can receive for nursing excellence and high-quality patient care and has received the 2018 Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award for superior safety performance. Ocean Medical Center received the highest score in the hospital network for team member engagement in the Great Places To Work® survey. Additional certifications and awards include: 2018 Get with the Guidelines® continuous quality improvement awards for Heart Failure Gold Plus Award, Stroke Gold Plus and Stroke Honor Roll Elite Awards, the 2018 ACTION Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award and the 2016 Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award. The medical center also operates the state’s first satellite Emergency Care Center in Point Pleasant, the Ocean Care Center, and hospital-based programs at Jackson Health Village.
ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care.
Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 16 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children’s hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals - Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, and Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood; and two rehabilitation hospitals - JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.
Additionally, the network has more than 450 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has 33,000 team members, and 6,500 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.
The network’s notable distinctions include having one of only five major academic medical centers in the nation to receive Healthgrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award for five or more consecutive years, four hospitals among the top 10 in New Jersey by U.S. News and World Report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, recipient of the John M. Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety and Quality from The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum, a six-time recipient of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” one of the “20 Best Workplaces in Health Care” in the nation, and the number one “Best Place to Work for Women.” The network was also named to Becker’s Healthcare’s “150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare/2018” list.
Hackensack Meridian Health partnered with Seton Hall University to launch the first private medical school in New Jersey – Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University - in more than 50 years to address a growing shortage of physicians and dramatic changes in health care delivery. Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it. Hackensack Meridian Health and Carrier Clinic, New Jersey’s oldest and most respected behavioral health provider, signed a definitive agreement to merge.
Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies.
For additional information, please visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.
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