Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s (NGMC) In-Home Palliative Care program has become the first in the state to be accredited by Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP).
CHAP is an independent, non-profit accrediting agency for home and community-based healthcare organizations. For a program to be CHAP certified, the palliative care service must have the right processes in place to ensure long-term success. The accreditation agency makes that determination through unscheduled, in-person visits, evaluating clinical care quality and patient experiences.
“Receiving this certification proves that we are exceeding the industry’s standards of care for our patients and their families,” said Dr. Leena Dutta, medical director of Hospice & In-Home Palliative Care at NGMC. “No one wants to talk about serious illness, but it’s important for our community to know that we are there for them in their time of need,”
In addition to CHAP certification, the Gainesville-based hospital recently received accreditation for the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship program from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Fellows are provided with the education and training to become experts at caring for people with chronic illnesses or at the end of life.
“NGMC is dedicated to teaching the clinicians of tomorrow the importance of Hospice and Palliative Medicine,” says Dr. John Delzell, Jr., vice president of Medical Education for Northeast Georgia Health System, which operates the hospital. “I am proud of the work of our programs and their continued passion for excellence.”
