Wilcox Memorial Hospital gains national accreditation

LIHU’E – Wilcox Memorial Hospital got an “A” on its report card from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JHACO).

Following an intense, three-day visit last month by a JHACO accreditation team from the Mainland, the hospital scored 90 out of 100.

The score could easily have been a 95, except for a few deductions for minor things, said Dr. Lee “Bill” Evslin, new president and chief executive officer of Wilcox Health (the hospital and its foundation, and Kauai Medical Clinic).

The accreditation team included a nurse, doctor, and financial expert, and they reviewed three years of patient records, and conducted interviews with staff, doctors, patients, families and other stakeholders, said Lynne Joseph, one of two vice presidents of operations at Wilcox Health.

Accreditation is good for three years, and is done by Wilcox Health on a voluntary basis to ensure quality of patient care, she said.

In addition to the extensive examination of patient records and interviews, the accreditation team also observed activities on the floors of the hospital, at various times of day and night, Joseph said.

While a more detailed report on the results of the accreditation visit will come later, the evaluation team lauded the hospital’s preventive maintenance and environmental care programs as better than some facilities much larger in size, she continued.

Clarence Ishida is safety officer and manager of maintenance at the hospital, and along with Susan Nonaka, director of support services, won compliments from the accreditation team for the hospital’s patient-safety program and emergency-response readiness.

Dr. David Patton, formerly hospital president and CEO, said the entire active team of associates deserves credit for the favorable independent evaluation.