St. Mary's Health Care System announced that St. Mary's Hospital in Athens has again earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approvalfor Advanced Certification in Inpatient Diabetes Care. The Gold Seal of Approval is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.

St. Mary's first earned the certification in 2011 as part of a major effort to help patients with diabetes better control their condition. At the time, St. Mary's was the second hospital in the state and one of the first 38 in the nation to be certified. Today, St. Mary's is one of only about 90 hospitals nationwide that hold advanced certification for inpatient diabetes care.

To earn the certification, St. Mary's underwent a rigorous on-site review in 2016. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with national disease-specific care standards as well as with inpatient diabetes-specific requirements. Clinical practice guidelines and performance measures also were assessed.

Established in 2006 and awarded for a two-year period, The Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification in Inpatient Diabetes Care is based on the American Diabetes Association’s Clinical Practice Recommendations and addresses standards related to:

• Staff education requirements

• Written blood glucose monitoring protocols

• Plans for the treatment of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia

• Data collection of incidences of hypoglycemia

• Patient education on self-management of diabetes, and

• An identified program champion or program champion team.

"St. Mary's has thoroughly demonstrated a high level of care for patients with diabetes,” said Patrick Phelan, interim executive director, Hospital Business Development, The Joint Commission. “We commend St. Mary's for becoming a leader in inpatient diabetes care, potentially providing a higher standard of service for diabetic patients in its community.”

“St. Mary's is pleased to receive continuing advanced certification from The Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation,” added Nina Evans, St. Mary's Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer. “The certification provides us with the framework create a culture of excellence for those in our community.”