The University of Virginia Transitional Care Hospital is the first hospital in Virginia to receive The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Wound Care certification.
The two-year certification follows an on-site visit in June by surveyors from The Joint Commission, a national accrediting group for hospitals.
According to The Joint Commission, hospitals earning a disease-specific certification must demonstrate:
- Compliance with consensus-based national standards
- Effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines
- An organized approach to performance measurement and improvement
Approximately one-third of the patients seen each year at the UVA Transitional Care Hospital are admitted for complex wound care needs, said Michael McDaniel, UVA’s associate chief for transitional care services. An additional 20 percent of patients are admitted to the Transitional Care Hospital needing wound care along with other medical services. Wounds may stem from pressure ulcers, skin tears, infections, inflammation, surgical incisions or circulatory problems.
To earn The Joint Commission certification, McDaniel said, the hospital’s team met standards that included:
- Wound healing rates
- Steps to monitor and reduce pressure ulcers
- Thorough and consistent skin assessments
- Patient satisfaction scores for wound care
- Wound care education for the Transitional Care Hospital team and the local healthcare community
“Delivering world class wound care requires the involvement and active participation of all of our team members, including nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists, rehabilitation services specialists, nutrition services team members, case managers, and chaplains,” McDaniel said.
The UVA Transitional Care Hospital cares for patients with serious medical conditions that require a longer stay – 25 to 28 days on average – than patients receiving treatment at most hospitals. Along with wound care, the Transitional Care Hospital also cares for patients who need to be weaned off ventilators or have complex health needs that require care from a healthcare team.
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