Joint Commission Awards Second Certification in Leukemia Care in the Nation to The Jewish Hospital

Mercy Health - Cincinnati, which provides advanced, compassionate, quality care in your neighborhood through its care network, announces that the Joint Commission has awarded The Jewish Hospital’s leukemia care program with its Gold Seal of Approval and certification. The Jewish Hospital is only the second hospital in the nation to earn this certification. The Jewish Hospital earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Bone Marrow Transplant Certification earlier this year.

The Jewish Hospital’s leukemia care program at its Blood Cancer Center underwent a rigorous on-site review earlier this year. Joint Commission experts evaluated its compliance with national disease-specific care standards as well as with leukemia-specific requirements. The Joint Commission also assessed the program’s clinical practice guidelines and performance measures.

"The entire team at The Jewish Hospital’s Blood Cancer Center is pleased to receive leukemia care certification from The Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation,” said Pat Davis-Hagens, Mercy Health Central Market President and CEO.

“The Blood Cancer Center is the most advanced adult blood and bone marrow transplant program in the Tristate, having performed more than 2,000 transplants, and its overall patient survival rates rival those of MD Anderson and the Cleveland Clinic and are ahead of noted facilities such as Cedars Sinai and the Mayo Clinic,” she added. “I congratulate this team on their tremendous achievement which has impacted the lives of so many individuals and their families in the region for the better.”

“The leukemia certification confirms the high level of care leukemia patients receive in the Blood Cancer Center at The Jewish Hospital. This is why the Blood Cancer Center treats more patients with acute leukemia than anywhere else in the Tri-State and thus is the destination for patients throughout the region,” said James H. Essell, MD, OHC medical oncologist/hematologist and Medical Director of the Blood Cancer Center.

"The Jewish Hospital has thoroughly demonstrated a high level of care for patients with leukemia,” said Patrick Phelan, executive director, Hospital Business Development, The Joint Commission. “We commend The Jewish Hospital for being a leader in leukemia care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for leukemia patients in its community.”

Established in 2002 and awarded for a two-year period, The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification evaluates clinical programs across the continuum of care and addresses three core areas:

• compliance with consensus-based national standards
• effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care
• an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities

Each year, thousands of people develop blood diseases, such as leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma that are treatable with blood stem cell or bone marrow transplants. The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health is the Tri-State leader in blood cancers and has been performing bone marrow transplants since 1993. It performs more than 100 blood and bone marrow transplants each year.