“We continually strive to improve the quality of our services, and meeting the Joint Commission’s rigorous national standards is an important recognition of our efforts,” said Robetta Trapp, diagnostic services director, who manages NMC’s Laboratory Services.

The Joint Commission evaluated the laboratory’s performance in complying with nearly 300 standards related to quality control, safety, infection control, leadership, management of human resources and information, ongoing performance improvement activities and other issues.

“The accreditation process helps promote continuous, systematic and organization-wide improvement in health care organizations, said Margaret Peck, executive director of the Joint Commission’s Laboratory Accreditation Program.

Efforts to improve don’t stop when the Joint Commission survey is over, according to Trapp. “Meeting the standards and achieving excellence is a continuous process. No matter how well we did today, we continue to strive to do better tomorrow,” she said.

Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission is dedicated to continuously improving the safety and quality of the nation’s health care though voluntary accreditation.