Kenmore Mercy Hospital Awarded Certification for Knee and Hip Replacement by The Joint Commission
Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Catholic Health’s Orthopedic Campus of Excellence, has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Total Knee and Total Hip Replacement. It is the only hospital in Western New York to receive this quality certification for its joint replacement services.
The award is a symbol of the highest quality safety and care, and recognizes compliance with The Joint Commission’s strict national standards. Kenmore Mercy Hospital earned its initial Joint Commission knee and hip replacement certification in 2011, which is has maintained.
“This certification means that we help set the standard for best orthopedic practices in the country,” said Andrew C. Stoeckl, MD, Kenmore Mercy Hospital’s associate chairman of Orthopedics.
To achieve these dual certifications, Kenmore Mercy’s total joint replacement program underwent a rigorous, voluntary, on-site review in August that looked at all aspects of care including patient education, surgical outcomes, rehabilitation practices, leadership, and medication management.
The coordination of care before, during and after surgery ensures that orthopedic patients at Kenmore Mercy receive the most efficient and comprehensive care available. Patients also benefit from onsite pre-surgical education and testing, the support of orthopedic certified nurses, and a dedicated Knee & Hip Center with all private rooms to enhance comfort and recovery.
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.
Kenmore Mercy’s surgical team performs more than 1,300 joint replacements annually. It is a leader in orthopedic innovation, as the first hospital in Western New York to offer unicondylar or partial knee replacements, and the first in the region to offer the Stryker Mako robotics system for knee and hip replacement surgery.
The hospital is also a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York. The Blue Distinction Center designation ensures that hospitals provide a full range of high quality knee and hip replacement services, including total knee replacement and total hip replacement surgeries.
