FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 25, 2014

Kerrville, TX – Peterson Regional Medical Center was granted continued certification and the two Gold Seals of Approval® for its “Back to Life” Total Knee and Total Hip Replacement Program. Awarded Disease Specific Care Certification in June 2013, Peterson underwent and passed the certification annual review with no findings or requirements for improvement identified by the Joint Commission for either program.

Proudly, Peterson is the only hospital in the region awarded three Gold Seals of Approval® for health care quality and safety in hospitals and the two for Peterson’s “Back to Life” Total Knee and Total Hip Replacement Program.

The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification Program, launched in 2002, is designed to evaluate clinical programs across the continuum of care. Certification requirements address three core areas: compliance with consensus-based national standards; effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care; and an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities.

The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 10,600 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,600 other health care organizations that provide long term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also certifies more than 2,400 disease-specific care programs such as stroke, heart failure, joint replacement and stroke rehabilitation, and 400 health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.

To learn more about Peterson’s “Back to Life” program, visit www.petersonrmc.com or contact our Joint Coordinator at