WARWICK, N.Y. (March 18, 2025) – WMCHealth’s St. Anthony Community Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for its Total Joint Replacement program. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a healthcare organization’s commitment to delivering a high standard of safe and quality patient care in managing hip, knee and shoulder replacements.
The certification, offered in collaboration with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, focuses on the pre-surgical orthopedic consultation to the intraoperative, hospitalization or ambulatory surgical center admission, rehabilitation activities and follow-up visits with the orthopedic surgeon.
St. Anthony Community Hospital underwent a rigorous site review on October 30 and 31, 2024. During the visit, a Joint Commission reviewer assessed compliance with certification standards, including preoperative patient care, patients’ paths through hospital stays and patient education provided for discharge and recovery.
“Total Hip, Knee and Shoulder Replacement Certification recognizes healthcare organizations committed to striving for excellence and fostering continuous improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” says Ken Grubbs, DNP, MBA, RN, Executive Vice President of Accreditation and Certification Operations and Chief Nursing Officer, The Joint Commission. “We commend St. Anthony Community Hospital for using The Joint Commission certification process to reduce variation in clinical processes and to strengthen its clinical program to drive safer, higher quality and more compassionate care for individuals served.”
“Exceptional patient outcomes and positive patient experiences have always been our focus and are proof of the exceptional care provided by our surgeons and orthopedic program team,” says Andrew Pickens, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of St. Anthony Community Hospital. “It is with the entire care team’s whole-hearted engagement and continual participation in performance improvement activities, the exceptional skill of our surgeons and the support of the leadership team that our program stands out over others in the market.”
The St. Anthony Community Hospital Orthopedic Program team—including orthopedic surgeons, joint replacement coordinator, preoperative services, intraoperative and post-operative care teams and interdisciplinary specialists such as physical therapists, occupational therapists and case management specialists—works collaboratively to optimize patient outcomes. Integral to the successful operation of the program and compliance with certification standards are leaders John S. Juliano, MD, Director of General Orthopedic and Fracture Care; John Hardcastle, MD, Director of Total Joint Replacement; and Daniel Tomlinson, MD, Director of the Shoulder Program and Department Director of Surgery.
The St. Anthony Community Hospital Orthopedic Program is celebrating its 12th anniversary. It is one of 10 programs in New York to receive Total Hip and Knee Replacement certification. In addition, the program is one of three in the state and one of only 64 in the U.S. to receive Total Shoulder Replacement certification.