The Little Clinic receives Joint Commission accreditation

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. Retail-based clinic operator The Little Clinic has announced that it received accreditation from the Joint Commission for its commitment to patient safety and quality care.

"We sought accreditation for our organization because we want to demonstrate our commitment to patients' safety and quality care," stated Sharon Marti, VP operations. "We see this accreditation as a way for our company to further enhance its superior patient care delivery model, and to continue to demonstrate the convenient care industry's commitment to quality."

As part of the accreditation process, the Joint Commission conducted an initial survey from Jan. 26 to Feb. 6, 2009. Surveyors visited the corporate office in Brentwood to review the standardization of clinical operations; medical affairs; including provider credentialing and enrollment, human resources, billing practices; and information technology. In addition, unannounced site visits to 24 clinics were conducted to assess for consistency of operations and focus on the use of evidence-based practices by clinicians to ensure high quality of care and safety in the delivery of patient services.

Founded in 1951, the commission evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,800 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services.