We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Fort Belknap Health Center staff pose for a picture.
L-R Mr. Alan Barlow, CEO of the FBHC; Mr. Mark Azure, President of the Fort Belknap Indian Community; and Commander Greg Smith, Acting Clinical Director for the FBHC.
(Harlem, MT) – The Fort Belknap Health Center (FBHC) proudly announced that as of September 19, 2016 it has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval® for Hospital Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards as a critical access hospital. The Gold Seal of Approval® is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization's commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.
FBHC, a critical access hospital (CAH) with the Billings Area Indian Health Service (IHS) in Harlem, MT and the Eagle Child Health Center (ECHC) outpatient clinic in Hays, MT, underwent a rigorous, unannounced onsite survey on August 30th and 31st. During the review, a team of Joint Commission expert surveyors evaluated compliance with hospital standards related to several areas, including emergency management, environment of care, infection prevention and control, leadership, and medication management. Surveyors also conducted onsite observations and interviews.
The Joint Commission has accredited hospitals for more than 60 years. More than 4,000 general, children's, long-term acute, psychiatric, rehabilitation and specialty hospitals currently maintain accreditation from The Joint Commission, awarded for a three-year period. In addition, approximately 360 critical access hospitals maintain accreditation through a separate program, and FBHC is the first IHS hospital in Montana to undergo the survey process and achieve accreditation.
"Joint Commission accreditation provides hospitals with the processes needed to improve in a variety of areas from the enhancement of staff education to the improvement of daily business operations," said Mark G. Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Division of Accreditation and Certification Operations, The Joint Commission. "In addition, our accreditation helps hospitals enhance their risk management and risk reduction strategies. We commend the Fort Belknap Health Center for its efforts to become a quality improvement organization."
"The Fort Belknap Health Center is pleased to receive accreditation from The Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation," added Mr. Alan Barlow, MS, MSHR, SPHR, the Chief Executive Officer of the FBHC. "I could not be more proud of the staff at FBHC for setting and achieving this goal, and I am extremely grateful for the collaborative guidance and support extended by the leadership of the Fort Belknap Indian Community and the Billings Area Office to attain accreditation. In doing so, they have helped us establish a foundation of quality from which we look forward to improving the health outcomes and patient experience of the Fort Belknap community for years to come."
The Joint Commission's hospital standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. The standards are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help hospitals measure, assess and improve performance.
