For the first time in five decades Northeast Alabama Regional Center in Anniston lost its seal of good standing with hospital evaluators.

The staff takes this seriously and is working to reverse the hospital's preliminary denial of accreditation.

It's a blow to a perfect record. The joint commission, known as the gold standard in rating hospitals, performed a hospital evaluation last August. The findings left the RMC with a status it's never known - preliminary denial status.

The key word is preliminary. Right now accreditation is in limbo, but the hospital can redeem itself by correcting the list of about twenty suggestions provided by the Joint Commission.

The required corrections include how medicines are stored and labeled, emergency procedures and medical records, specifically those dealing with anesthesia.

Susan Williamson, the hospital's Media Rep, says "We feel in some of those areas that we were in compliance at the time of the survey in August."

To make sure the rest of the concerns are in compliance twenty people - including physicians, pharmacists and board members - are preparing for July 9th. That's when the Medical Center can show the Joint Commission how it has corrected policies to meet hospital standards.

Williamson says "We feel confidant that we will get back to full accreditation status."

CLICK HERE to read the Regional Medical Center's Accreditation Report.

Email To A Friend