Accreditations

The following is an overview of Middlesex Hospital’s accreditations. Some of these accreditations are mandatory for all hospitals, some are voluntary.

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is the most recognized accrediting agency for hospitals and healthcare organizations. In its last survey in 2002, Middlesex Hospital received an excellent score of 94 (out of a possible 100); Middlesex Hospital Homecare received a score of 99 and Behavioral Health received a perfect score of 100.

Magnet Status

On June 1, 2001, Middlesex Hospital became Connecticut’s first Magnet hospital, the highest indicator available for nursing excellence awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), an arm of the American Nurses Association. Less than 2% of hospitals in the United States are designated as Magnet hospitals.

The evaluation process encompasses quality of leadership, nurse–management style, nursing autonomy, organizational structure, care practices and career development – all the things that go into attracting, keeping and motivating the best nursing and other healthcare professionals. Today, Middlesex Hospital’s nurse turnover rate is one of the lowest in the state, and our nurses average over 14 years with Middlesex Hospital.

State Department of Public Health Licensure

The Connecticut State Department of Public Health inspects all hospitals at least every three years, utilizing the Public Health Codes as criteria for their review. Middlesex Hospital has maintained uninterrupted state licensure.

American College of Surgeons (ACS)

The Middlesex Hospital Cancer Center is approved by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). The ACS Commission’s approval program sets rigorous standards for cancer programs and reviews the programs to make sure they conform to those standards. Approval by the Commission on Cancer is given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to provide the best in diagnosis and treatment of cancer and to undergo a rigorous evaluation process and a review of its performance. In order to maintain approval, facilities with approved cancer programs must undergo an on–site review every three years.

College of American Pathologists (CAP)

CAP is a private, not–for–profit accrediting organization that has been approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and its requirements have been deemed as equivalent to or more stringent than CMS’s regulatory requirements. The goal of the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program is to improve the quality of clinical laboratory services through voluntary participation, professional peer review, continuing education and compliance with established performance standards.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

Middlesex Hospital holds a license from the NRC for the radioactive materials it uses in certain imaging and radiation oncology procedures. The Hospital’s linear accelerator is registered with the State of Connecticut and its mammography center is certified by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Public Health Service of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)

The Middlesex Hospital Family Practice Residency is accredited by the ACGME, a private, non–profit organization that accredits more than 7,800 residency programs in 119 specialties and subspecialties affecting nearly 100,000 resident physicians. Its mission is to improve the quality of patient care through improving and maintaining the quality of graduate medical education for physicians training in the United States. Accreditation is voluntary.

National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)

In 2003, Integrated Resources for the Middlesex Area, LLC (IRMA), received full accreditation for its disease management programs, from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). IRMA is the first and only community–based health system in the country to receive this honor, and was one of only 18 organizations nationwide to voluntarily sign on for the NCQA accreditation program.