Awards of Distinction

Christ Hospital Receives Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission
The Joint Commission is a private organization that has been accrediting hospitals for more than 50 years. Its Gold Seal of Approval accreditation is a nationwide seal of approval that indicates a hospital meets high performance standards. To receive accreditation from the Joint Commission we are assessed on more than 250 standards, many of which examine quality of care and patient safety issues.

Healthgrades Award Cites Excellence in Maternity Care
Christ Hospital has been recognized with a five-star rating for clinical excellence in maternity care from HealthGrades, the nation’s leading independent healthcare ratings company. This is the fifth consecutive year Christ Hospital has achieved this recognition. Christ Hospital ranks in the top five percent of hospitals for maternity care and has received the HealthGrades 2009/2010 Maternity Care Excellence Award. This is the third consecutive year that Christ Hospital has earned this distinction and it is one of only five hospitals in New Jersey to be ranked among the top five percent in the nation for maternity care.

American Heart Association Gives Gold Award
for Heart Failure
Christ Hospital received the Get With the Guidelines — Heart Failure (GWTG-HF) Silver Performance Achievement Award from the American Heart Association. The recognition signifies that Christ Hospital has reached an aggressive goal of treating heart failure patients with 85% compliance for one year to core standard levels of care as outlined by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology secondary prevention guidelines for heart failure patients.

“As coronary disease along with its related complications is the number one reason why people in Hudson County are hospitalized, this award is of major significance,” says Maureen Fitzsimmons, RN, MPH, NEA, BC, Vice President of Patient Care Services at Christ Hospital.

“According to the American Heart Association, about 5.2 million people suffer from heart failure and each year more than 57,000 people will die of heart failure. Christ Hospital is dedicated to making our care for heart failure patients among the best in the country.”

Respiratory Care Earns Award from QRCR
Christ Hospital earned Quality Respiratory Care Recognition (QRCR) in 2009 from the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) under a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the quality of the respiratory care services available in hospitals. The hospital is one of only 700 hospitals or approximately 15 percent of hospitals in the United States to receive such recognition.

To qualify for this award, all of the respiratory therapists must be credentialed as a CRT or RRT; respiratory care must be available 24/7; and the department must have an MD or DO as the medical director.

Christ Hospital Receives Leapfrog Group Award for Quality Newborn Care
For the second consecutive year, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey recognized Christ Hospital for ranking in the top quartile for efficiency and quality in newborn care. This “leapfrog” award is a nationally standardized way to assess the value of patient care by measuring performance along two dimensions — the quality of the care hospitals provide and how efficiently they deliver it.

Leapfrog Group Commends Intensive Care
As the regional leader in providing five-star healthcare services for women and children, Christ Hospital recently distinguished itself in another clinical area– intensive care, and is the only hospital in Hudson County to receive such recognition from The Leapfrog Group, a leading association in setting standards for and improving health care quality throughout the nation. Christ Hospital was commended for meeting all standards for quality in its intensive care unit during 2008.

Christ Hospital’s Vascular Lab Receives Accreditation
Christ Hospital’s Vascular Laboratory has attained recognition for its commitment to providing a high level of patient care and quality testing for the diagnosis of vascular disease. The facility achieved accreditation by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL). Christ Hospital is the only hospital in Hudson County that currently holds this accreditation as it has for the past nine years.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, costing society over 83.7 billion dollars each year in health services, medications and lost work time due to disability. Stroke, a disorder of the blood supply to the brain, is the third leading cause of disability in this country, with 500,000 new strokes occurring annually.

One American dies every 32 seconds of cardiovascular disease, disorders of the heart and blood vessels. Annually, 2 million people in the United States alone develop deep vein thrombosis — blood clots in the veins. This affliction becomes life threatening for 500,000 of those people when the blood clot breaks loose and travels to the lungs.

Early detection of these life-threatening vascular diseases is possible through the use of non-invasive vascular testing techniques performed within vascular laboratories.

Christ Hospital’s Vascular Laboratory is one of a growing number of vascular laboratories in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico to meet and exceed the ICAVL standards for non-invasive vascular testing. During the accreditation process, every aspect of the daily operations and its impact on the quality of healthcare provided to patients is assessed and reviewed. While completing the application, laboratories are required to identify and correct potential problems, revising protocols and validating quality assurance programs.

Participation in the accreditation process demonstrates the laboratory’s attention to a high level of patient care and quality testing. ICAVL accreditation is valid for a period of three years.