UCI Medical Center awarded Gold Seal accreditation from The Joint Commission
Commitment to safe, high-quality care affirmed during rigorous, unannounced on-site review
May 06, 2024
Orange, Calif. — UCI Medical Center has again earned The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval® for its Advanced Heart Failure Program Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards.
The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects the academic health system’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care. Its commitment was affirmed during a rigorous, unannounced on-site review at UCI Medical Center.
“This accreditation is a testament to the exceptional standards of care our team upholds every day at UCI Health," said Chad T. Lefteris, UCI Health president and CEO. “The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal not only reaffirms our commitment to safety and quality in patient care but also highlights the dedication of our co-workers to advancing heart failure treatment. Every member of our team plays a critical role in achieving such distinctions, and I am incredibly proud of their continuous efforts to improve the health of our community.”
During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with Advanced Heart Failure standards spanning several areas including emergency management, environment of care, infection prevention and control, leadership, medication management and rights and responsibilities of the individual.
The UCI Health Heart Failure Program’s two-year certification for disease-specific care in 2008 was the first awarded to an Orange County hospital. Since then, UCI Health has consistently received honors from the organization.
UCI Health has an established track record of offering the highest quality care for patients experiencing heart failure, a condition that refers to the progressive weakening of the heart muscle until it no longer pumps enough blood to meet the body's needs.
In 2023, UCI Health received Gold Plus honor roll awards for both its heart failure and type 2 diabetes programs from the American Heart Association.
Organizations that receive the Gold Plus recognition demonstrate a commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart disease and stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer hospital readmissions.
The Joint Commission’s standards are developed in consultation with healthcare experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. They are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help healthcare organizations measure, assess and improve performance. The surveyors also conducted on-site observations and interviews.
“As a healthcare accreditor, The Joint Commission works with healthcare organizations across care settings to inspire safer and higher quality of care that is more equitable and compassionate,” says Ken Grubbs, DNP, MBA, RN, executive vice president of Accreditation and Certification Operations and chief nursing officer of The Joint Commission.
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About UCI Health
UCI Health is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, and the only academic health system based in Orange County. UCI Health is comprised of its main campus, UCI Medical Center, a 459-bed, acute care hospital in in Orange, Calif., four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and ambulatory care centers across the region. Listed among America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 23 consecutive years, UCI Medical Center provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
About The Joint Commission
For more than 70 years, The Joint Commission has been a global driver of quality improvement and patient safety in health care. It is an independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising the level of safety and quality of health care. Accreditation is considered a symbol of quality in the healthcare industry, and the Joint Commission is considered the nation’s predominant health standards-setting body.
