32
Healthcare Journal of Baton Rouge
| September / October 2008 Issue | healthcarejournalbr.com
ost medical practices, whether hospitals,
surgical centers, clinics, or home health
agencies, will tell you that quality is a pri-
ority. They may follow a set of standards,
complete certifications, or seek accredita-
tion from a variety of sources. One of the
most widely recognized accrediting bodies
is the Joint Commission. Many practices,
even if they don't seek out accreditation,
follow the Joint Commission's National
Patient Safety Goals and related requirements. Others jump in
feet first and have the Joint Commission evaluate how they are
doing. If granted accreditation, it is a signal to the practice itself,
to fellow practitioners, and to the public that they are doing a
good job. It is, however, a lengthy and fairly costly process, and
it is voluntary, so some opt to simply address quality improve-
ments internally.
Recently, the Joint Commission started listing
facilities that have received accreditation on
their Quality Check website. Visitors to the site
can search by state, county, city, or by distance
from a zipcode for a specific provider. They may
also search by type of provider or service for an
accredited facility. The Joint Commission Quality
Check site also lists non-accredited providers in these
areas, upon their request.
As a nod to their commitment to quality, we have listed for
you, by parish and type of provider, all of the Joint
Commission accredited sites in the Baton Rouge Metropolitan
Statistical Area (the 225 area code) as of June, 2008. Please note
that certain sites are listed under categories that might not seem
to fit, for example a freestanding clinic may be listed under
“Hospital.” The reason for this is that they are listed under the
category of the parent site through which they were accredited.
For more details, check the Joint Commission Quality Check
website at http://www.qualitycheck.org/consumer/search
QCR.aspx.
by: Phillip Gatto