For Immediate Release
One of the very 1st Home Care Agencies in Northern California
Walnut Creek, CA, September 10, 2013 – Eldercare Services has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for accreditation by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety in home care. The accreditation award recognizes Eldercare Services’ dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission’s state of the art standards. The Joint Commission is best known as the accrediting agency for hospitals across the nation.
Eldercare Services underwent a rigorous on-site survey in June 2013. Joint Commission surveyors did an in-depth review of the organization’s client safety and care delivery processes. They focused on areas that critically impact client care and safety, including adherence to the Home Care National Patient Safety Goals which identify areas where credible evidence shows that compliance leads to safer practices. These include, among other things, infection control, hand hygiene, fall risk reduction, and identifying client safety risks such as home fires associated with home oxygen therapy. The Joint Commission develops its standards in consultation with health care experts, providers and researchers, as well as measurement experts, purchasers and consumers.
“As one of the first locally owned home care agencies to receive Joint Commission accreditation, we‘re demonstrating our commitment to provide the highest quality services,” says Linda Fodrini-Johnson, Founder and Executive Director. “Achieving accreditation is a major step toward maintaining excellence and continually improving the care we provide.”
The process of sustaining the level of standards of compliance required for accreditation creates a safety oriented culture within an organization. While there are costs associated with accreditation, findings suggest the benefits of voluntary accreditation are significant.
“As we went through the assessment, we discovered that we were already meeting many of the certification criteria,” added Director of Client Services Chris Franks-Rose, PTA, MPA, CMC. “As we continuously focus on ways to keep people well, our ever-present goal is to further enrich the client relationship in terms of communication, education, and informed decision making.”
As the demands to improve patient/client outcomes, decrease costs and integrate technology increase for home care providers, there is an ever greater need for accreditation to help keep up with new advances and standards of care.
“In achieving Joint Commission accreditation, Eldercare Services has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for its clients,” says Margherita Labson, R.N., executive director, Home Care Accreditation, The Joint Commission. “Accreditation is a voluntary process and I commend Eldercare Services for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves.”
In 1989, Eldercare Services became a pioneer in geriatric care management services. Today, Eldercare Services provides a unique blend of services from professional geriatric care management, home care services (caregiving) and counseling to offering family support groups and community education. Serving the Bay Area, Eldercare Services is one of the largest care management and home care agencies in the greater Bay Area. Passionate about the challenges of aging and illness, Founder and Executive Director Linda Fodrini-Johnson, MA, MFT, CMC, served as President of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM) in 2010 and is still a very active member. For more information on Eldercare Services, visit www.EldercareAnswers.com.
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.
