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Washington, D.C.- Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) announced today that the Lutz VA Medical Center scored a 99 out 100 by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization’s, which surveyed private and public hospitals. This announcement follows the CARE Commission’s recommendation to eliminate the inpatient services at the Lutz Medical Center. In response to the Commission’s proposal, Congressman Kildee introduced a bill last month to save the inpatient services at the Veterans Medical Center in Saginaw.
“This announcement further proves that the medical services at Lutz Medical Center are second to none and that this hospital should not be stripped of its inpatient services,” said Kildee. “We must work together to defeat the CARE Commission’s recommendation because our local veterans clearly have access to the best medical services available. We owe it to our veterans to fight this recommendation to show our gratitude for their service and sacrifice to our country.”
The Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for demonstrating compliance with national standards for health care quality and safety. The Saginaw VA Medical Center received the highest score out of all the Michigan VA Medical Centers. The Lutz Medical Center was awarded this accreditation for a three-year period ending October 11, 2006.
“We sought accreditation for our organization because we want to demonstrate our commitment to veterans safety and quality care,” says Gabriel Perez, Medical Center Director. “We view obtaining Joint Commission accreditation as another step toward achieving excellence. Only 2% of private and public hospitals surveyed by the Joint Commission received a score of 99 or better. This marks the highest score ever for the Saginaw VA Medical Center.”
Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits nearly 17,000 health care organizations and programs in the U.S., including approximately 9,000 hospitals and home care organizations and 8,000 other health care organizations. An independent, non-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards setting and accrediting body in health care. |
