Baptist Health Neurosurgery Arkansas has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Advanced Certification in Spine Surgery (ACSS) by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards.
The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a healthcare organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care.
“We are proud to be the first facility in the state to receive advanced spine certification from The Joint Commission,” said Blake Phillips, MD, board-certified neurological surgeon. “This recognition clearly sets Baptist Health Neurosurgery Arkansas apart as a leader in Arkansas. It is also a testament to our long-standing commitment to providing quality, compassionate spine services for the patients who entrust us with their care.”
Offered in collaboration with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the certification helps organizations provide consistent communication and collaboration among all healthcare providers involved in the care of the patient – from the pre-surgical consultation with the spine surgeon to the intraoperative, hospitalization or ambulatory surgery center admission, rehabilitation activities, and then the follow-up visit with the surgeon.
To be eligible for ACSS, organizations must implement evidence-based care and clinical practice guidelines and participate in the American Spine Registry, a national quality improvement registry for spine care. These requirements include at least 200 spine surgery procedures, data collection on standardized performance measures for a minimum of four months prior to certification review, standardized order sets for spine surgery patients, utilization of clinical practice guidelines to provide evidence-based care, and active participation with the American Spine Registry (ASR).
Additionally, organizations need to collect performance measurement data on surgical site infection rates, new neurological deficits, unplanned return visits to the operating room, and pre-operative and post-operative patient reported outcomes.
Baptist Health Neurosurgery Arkansas underwent a rigorous onsite review on Dec. 12 and 13, 2023. During the visit, a Joint Commission reviewer evaluated compliance with related certification standards, including clinical information management, program management, supporting self-management, and delivering or facilitating clinical care.
Additionally, performance measurements were reviewed including surgical site infection rates, new neurological deficit, unplanned return visit to the operating room, and patient reported outcomes.