Mercy Health-Fairfield Hospital earns Heart Failure Certification

Hospital is the first and only hospital in Butler County to earn the certification.

Mercy Health-Fairfield Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Heart Failure Certification. The Gold Seal of Approval is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.

Fairfield Hospital is the first and only hospital in Butler County to earn this certification, according to officials with the health care system.

It joins Mercy Health-West Hospital, which earned Advanced Certification in Heart Failure, in securing recognition from The Joint Commission. In January, Fairfield Hospital received the Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure Bronze Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology Foundation.

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Fairfield Hospital underwent a rigorous on-site review of its heart failure care program. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with national disease-specific care standards as well as with heart failure-specific requirements. They also assessed clinical practice guidelines and performance measures.

Mercy Health – Fairfield Hospital has thoroughly demonstrated a high level of care for patients with heart failure, according to Patrick Phelan, executive director for The Joint Commission’s hospital business development.

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“We commend Fairfield Hospital for becoming a leader in heart failure care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for patients with the condition in its community,” Phelan said.

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.

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Mercy Health North Market president and CEO Tom Urban said it is “a great honor” to receive the certification from The Joint Commission, which he said is “the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation.”

“Our heart failure care team did an outstanding job earning this certification, which provides us with the framework to continue growing a culture of excellence for those in our community,” Urban said.

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