South Nassau is First Hospital in NY to Earn JC Certification in End Stage Renal Disease

OCEANSIDE, N.Y. - March 31, 2014 - PRLog -- South Nassau Communities Hospital is the first hospital in New York to earn End Stage Renal Disease Certification from the Joint Commission (JC).  The certification was awarded to South Nassau for its compliance and continuous dedication to the national standards for health care quality and safety as recommended by the commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification Program.

Certification and accreditation by the JC is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects a hospital’s commitment to meeting demanding performance standards.  End Stage Renal Disease Certification is available only to dialysis programs in JC accredited acute care hospitals.  End Stage Renal Disease occurs when the kidneys stop working well enough for a person to live without dialysis or a transplant. This kind of kidney failure is usually permanent and is most commonly caused by diabetes or high blood pressure.

"In achieving Joint Commission certification, we have demonstrated our commitment to the highest level of care for our dialysis patients," said Richard J. Murphy, president and CEO of South Nassau.

To earn the certification, South Nassau’s in-house dialysis unit and Outpatient Dialysis Center (located in Oceanside, NY) underwent a thorough and rigorous on-site review by surveyors with expertise in dialysis care.  The review demonstrated South Nassau’s compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of patients and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.

Combining advanced medical technology with comfortable furnishings, South Nassau’s inpatient dialysis unit and Outpatient Dialysis Center provide professional, compassionate care for people who need hemodialysis. The outpatient center sets the standard for the delivery of outpatient-dialysis services.  Its 18 patient stations are equipped with state-of-the-art dialysis technology as well as a host of patient-centered amenities, including satellite-linked, high-definition television sets, high-speed Internet services, personal telephones, and individual lighting and heating control.

Equipped with the same state-of-the-art dialysis technology, the hospital’s inpatient dialysis unit provides patients with dialysis treatments in a semi-private setting where they can relax in comfortable recliners or beds under the watchful eyes of specially-trained nurses who are sensitive to their specific needs.

Designated a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), South Nassau® Communities Hospital is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 435 beds, more than 900 physcians and 3,000 employees.  Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services.  In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau provides emergency and elective angioplasty and is the only hospital on Long Island with the Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery technologies.  South Nassau is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons and is an accredited center of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Association and Quality Improvement Program.  For more information, visit www.southnassau.org.