Heywood Hospital Awarded Certificate of Distinction for Inpatient Diabetes Management by Joint Commi

GARDNER, Mass. - July 26, 2017 - PRLog -- Heywood Hospital has been awarded a Certificate of Distinction by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (commonly referred to as Joint Commission) in recognition of the high standard of care provided by Heywood Hospital to their patients with diabetes.

The Joint Commission is an independent not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies nearly 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.  Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organizations commitment to meeting certain performance standards.

Doug Miller, RN, CDE, one of three certified diabetic educators on the Heywood Hospital staff, was designated as the Project Manager for Heywood's journey to Joint Commission Certification. "In 2012, Win Brown, our hospital's CEO, asked that we begin a project seeking to establish Heywood Healthcare as a Center of Diabetes Excellence," shared Miller. "In the five years since receiving the charge from Brown, we have recruited and built a team of dietitians, nurses, and pharmacists who have spent countless hours reviewing the Certification requirements published by the Joint Commission."

As challenges were encountered on the road to certification, the team received guidance and support from Diabetes physician champion Dr. Elizabeth Nottleson, a well-known and respected primary care physician, practicing at Tully Family Medicine.

In March 2017, Joint Commission sent a Program Reviewer for an onsite visit at Heywood Hospital who inspected 15 different standards of care as they relate to inpatient diabetes management.  Following the Reviewer's visit, the Certificate of Distinction in Inpatient Diabetes Management was awarded to Heywood Hospital on May 28th.

"The inspiring team effort shown by our staff has been an incredibly rewarding element of this Certification process," said Brown.  "However, the fact that we are providing the residents of the North Central and North Quabbin communities with high-quality and comprehensive diabetic care, validated by such a well-respected and independently recognized organization like Joint Commission, is something in which the whole Heywood community takes pride."

The Heywood Hospital Diabetes Education Program is certified by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) and offers the most qualified educational services to patients. For more information about the Diabetes Center of Excellence at Heywood Hospital, please visit http://www.heywood.org/services/diabetes.

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About Heywood Hospital
A member of the Heywood Healthcare system, Heywood Hospital is a 134-bed acute care hospital in Gardner, MA, which provides a broad range of high quality medical, surgical, obstetrical, pediatric and behavioral health services on an inpatient and outpatient basis. The hospital's Centers of Excellence include the Watkins Center for Emergency and Acute Care; the LaChance Maternity Center; the Diabetes Center; and the Heywood Heart and Vascular Center, an affiliate of the Heart and Vascular Center of Excellence at UMass Memorial Health Care.

About Heywood Healthcare
Heywood Healthcare is an independent, community-owned healthcare system serving north central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. It is comprised of Heywood Hospital, a non-profit, 134-bed acute-care hospital in Gardner, MA; Athol Hospital, a 25-bed not-for-profit, Critical Access Hospital in Athol, MA; the Quabbin Retreat in Petersham, MA; and Heywood Medical Group with primary care physicians and specialists located throughout the region. The organization includes six satellite facilities in MA; Heywood Rehabilitation Center and Heywood Urgent Care in Gardner; West River Health Center in Orange; Winchendon Health Center and Murdock School-based Health Center in Winchendon; Heywood Charitable Foundation; the North Quabbin Community Coalition, an affiliate organization; and The Quabbin Retreat in Petersham.