Huntington, NY, March 20, 2009...Huntington Hospital’s Center for Orthopedics and Joint Replacement is the first in the New York Metropolitan region to earn the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™ for health care quality in hip and knee replacement surgery. Huntington is one of only three hospitals in New York State and the only one in the downstate region to be awarded the Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification in this specialty.

To earn this distinction, Huntington Hospital voluntarily underwent an on-site evaluation by a team of Joint Commission reviewers. The program was evaluated against stringent Joint Commission standards that included an assessment of processes, adherence to quality of care protocols, and interviews with patients and staff.

“This certification means Huntington Hospital does the right things and does them well for hip and knee replacement patients,” says Jean E. Range, MS, RN, CPHQ, executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, Joint Commission.

“It’s one thing to say that we are a Center of Excellence for joint replacement surgery, and another to have objective third-party certification demonstrating our commitment to excellence,” said James Gurtowski, MD, Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at Huntington Hospital. Dr. Gurtowski pointed out that along with the hospital’s certification, every surgeon who performs hip and knee replacement surgery at Huntington is Board-certified. With nearly 400 hip and knee replacement procedures performed annually, Huntington is one of the highest-volume centers on Long Island for these surgeries.

“This extraordinary achievement was the result of a team effort,” said hospital President and CEO, Kevin F. Lawlor. “It would not have been possible without the collaboration of our patient care coordinator, our excellent surgical staff, anesthesiologists, operating room nurses, orthopedic nurses, physical therapists, social workers, and countless others.”
The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. The Joint Commission launched its Disease-Specific Care Certification in 2002. A list of programs certified by the Joint Commission is available at www.jointcommission.org.