When it came to evaluating high standards at a consistently-high level, Naval Hospital Bremerton’s (NHB) Christopher C. Cornish was more than ready to demonstrate.

Cornish, medical equipment technician with NHB’s Endoscopy Clinic, was but one of many acknowledged examples of superior performance and reliability during the Joint Commission accreditation survey and Navy Medicine Medical Inspector General (MED IG) inspection, Feb. 4-7.

From the operating room and inpatient wards to offices and clinics, the visiting teams evaluated NHB’s policies, procedures and programs at every level.

“This is what we do every day, and having an extra pair of eyes inspect us was good, because it reinforced what we do and reminded us not to be complacent," said Cornish. "Our team did great. We met and exceeded the standards of ensuring all our instruments are processed correctly every time.”

Cornish is also the clinic’s expert who showcased their high standards in place by stringently following the decontamination and high-level disinfection processes required on all instruments and equipment that are critical for maintaining patient safety.

Along with Cornish and the Endoscopy Clinic, there were a number of NHB departments, clinics, and staff members recognized for their dedication to the command’s high standard of care specific to the needs of patients and commitment to environmental safety for all patients, staff, and visitors, including Radiology.

“The Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) screening program was highlighted as one of many leading practices," Radiology Department Head Lt. Cmdr. Crystal Russell explained. "The surveyor lauded the multi-layered patient screening process, which has maximized safety as evidenced by no thermal injuries nor ferromagnetic incidents.”

She also cited that the Joint Commission plans to share the comprehensive screening process as a best practice across the nation.

Russell added, “Much of the credit for the department’s impeccable safety record goes to Lieutenant Angela Wofford, Radiation Health officer, and Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Julius Ramirez, Radiation Health Division leading petty officer, who have established a culture of safety and also manage the DoD’s largest Radiation Health program at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard,” another program recognized by The Joint Commission for its record of sustained superior performance and reliability.

According to Cmdr. Kevin Burns, Quality Management Department head, what made the visit a resounding success was that all staff members continued to perform their daily duties at the same high standard as always and did not get overwhelmed being in the spotlight. It was business as usual.

“Our staff looked at this as an opportunity to demonstrate the safe, reliable high-quality care we provide every day," said Burns. "We are proud of our partnership with and commitment to our patients, and we welcome the opportunity to demonstrate the outstanding care and services we provide.”

The hospital and its branch health clinics had no findings in such areas as Emergency Management, Nursing, Process Improvement, Leadership, and Universal Protocol. Most notably, there was not a single finding in the category of Provision of Care and Treatment, which the Joint Commission Team Lead, Cindy Renaker, cited in her outbrief with NHB staff as unprecedented, specifically congratulating them, “Well done! This never happens!”

There were also no findings in Record of Care and Information Management, significant in that NHB was the first inpatient community hospital to rollout DoD’s $4.3 billion electronic health record (EHR) MHS Genesis, Sept. 23, 2017.

“Despite the challenges of rolling out a new EHR, it is paying dividends," said Chief Medical Informatics Officer, Lt. Cmdr. Bryan Wooldridge. "The survey team was impressed with the added safety features such as bar code scanning of inpatient and Labor and Delivery medications and blood transfusions, as well as enhanced medication reconciliation and Patient Portal features.”

NHB’s Primary Care Medical Homes (PCMHs) were also certified with no findings. Chief Medical Officer, Capt. Andrea Donalty, noted that The Joint Commission was particularly impressed with standardized processes across multiple geographically disparate locations, embedded behavioral health, pharmacy, and nutritionist assets, the Intensive Diabetes Care Clinic, and dedicated case and referral management services. The PCMH was also cited for leading practices in virtual appointments to improve access and projects to enhance provider wellness.

The Caregiver Occupational Stress Control (CgOSC) initiative, a multidisciplinary, proactive team-based intervention and prevention program designed to promote wellness and resilience, was also specifically cited as an exportable leading practice.

“At NHB, we deeply value the ‘experience of work’ for our staff to be as important as the experience of care for our patients," said Cmdr. Bill Hlavin, command chaplain and head of the multidisciplinary CgOSC team. "Staff professional development is part of our human capital strategy. We have deliberately committed time, effort, and resources to develop resilience and equip our staff for success.”

The Joint Commission Survey takes place every three years and is a hospital accreditation process carried out by a civilian organization based on demonstrated high standards of patient safety and quality. The Joint Commission accredits nearly 16,000 health care organizations in the United States and many other countries. By seeking accreditation, NHB agreed to be measured against established national standards set by the health care industry. Becoming an accredited organization indicates compliance with the necessary quality and safety standards and a commitment to continue to make efforts to improve the care and service provided.

“This survey was a tremendous opportunity to showcase how our systems, processes and programs are hard-wired for reliability and safety," said Capt. Jeffrey Bitterman, NHB commanding officer. "I am blessed with an outstanding team of active-duty, civilian, and contract staff who are all dedicated to safe high-quality health care delivery for our warfighters and their families. This allowed us to demonstrate our commitment to patient-and family-centered care, safety, process improvement, and service excellence in a safe-healing environment. We accomplish this daily through our core culture of competence, character, and compassion, with engaged leadership at all levels. I could not be more proud of our team! We are always ready.”

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