Saint Peter's University Hospital Awarded Perinatal Care Recertification from The Joint Commission

Saint Peter’s University Hospital, a member of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, has once again earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Perinatal Care Certification by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards.

The Gold Seal of Approval is a symbol of quality that reflects a healthcare organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care. The certification recognizes Saint Peter’s efforts to achieve integrated, coordinated, patient-centered care for clinically uncomplicated pregnancies and births. The certification uses standards, guidelines, and The Joint Commission’s perinatal care core performance measures for managing and monitoring aspects of perinatal care that are critical to improving and maintaining the health of newborns and their mothers.

Saint Peter’s University Hospital recently underwent a rigorous, unannounced onsite review that included observations regarding clinical practice and patient care, as well as individual interviews. 

During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with perinatal care standards spanning several areas including care for high-risk births and birth complications. The Joint Commission standards are developed in consultation with healthcare experts and providers, measurement experts, and patients.

“Perinatal Care Certification recognizes healthcare organizations committed to fostering continuous quality improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive, The Joint Commission. “We commend Saint Peter’s University Hospital for using certification to reduce variation in its clinical processes and to strengthen its program structure and management framework for newborns and their mothers.”

“It’s truly an honor to receive perinatal recertification from The Joint Commission,” said Carlos W. Benito, MD, maternal-fetal medicine specialist and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Saint Peter’s. “While Saint Peter’s is known as a regional leader in maternal health services, the Perinatal Care Certification offers third-party validation that we’ve achieved the highest quality national standards for perinatal health.”

The Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission reinforces Saint Peter’s existing reputation as a statewide leader in comprehensive maternal and newborn health services. Saint Peter’s has a burgeoning list of distinctions and accolades:

• The hospital is home to New Jersey’s first state-designated Regional Perinatal Center, providing an exceptional level of high-risk maternity care for women experiencing complicated pregnancy and neonatal care for infants born premature or with serious medical issues.
• Saint Peter’s Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is well-known regionally for its expertise in providing premature and fragile infants with the highest level of care.
• Saint Peter’s is the only New Jersey hospital in the Council of Women’s and Infants’ Specialty Hospitals (CWISH) and has held that member designation since 1997. CWISH is a collaborative of 14 hospitals across the country that works together to establish best practices in support of programs, and national policy for women’s and infants’ healthcare services.
• The hospital is home to the Mary V. O’Shea Birth Center, New Jersey’s first hospital-based midwifery-led birth center where expectant mothers go for office visits, birthing classes, and the birth of their baby.
• The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital is the only hospital in New Jersey to be ranked among the Top 50 Best Hospitals in Neonatology three times in a row by U.S. News & World Report 2021-22.
• The hospital received the 2022 Women’s Choice Award for Best Hospitals for Obstetrics and Best Hospitals for Women’s Services.

According to Pam Harmon, DNP, MSN, RNC-NIC, nursing director of Saint Peter’s Women and Children’s Division, “Submitting one’s hospital for perinatal certification by The Joint Commission is a voluntary process that is rigorous in its level of scrutiny, but it’s a process that we happily participate in so that expectant mothers can be blanketed with an extra layer of confidence when they choose Saint Peter’s as the place where they’ll be welcoming their baby into this world.”

Story by: Tapinto New Brunswick
Photo Credit: Saint Peter's University Hospital