Accreditation & Awards
At Portsmouth Regional Hospital, our 200 doctors and over 1,000 employees are committed to delivering the highest quality of care and service. Our performance is continually measured by multiple government agencies, national organizations and accrediting bodies. As evidenced by our program accreditations and awards, you can rest assured that your care meets the highest standards.
Awards & Recognition
Cardiac Center of Excellence
The Heart & Lung Center has been designated a Cardiac "Center of Excellence" by HCA Healthcare. This prestigious award, given to only five of HCA's 158 hospitals nationwide, recognizes superior performance and quality outcomes. It is only awarded after an extensive review of policies and procedures, outcome data and a rigorous site visit. Reviewers evaluated the entire Heart & Lung Center program, including diagnostics, interventional cardiology, cardiac surgery, emergency care and cardiac rehabilitation.
Cardiac Surgeon of the Year - 2005
Our Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Dr. Donato Sisto, received top honors as HCA's Cardiac Surgeon of the Year for 2005.
#1 in Patient Satisfaction
In 2005, Portsmouth Regional Hospital ranked #1 in Patient Satisfaction among almost 200 HCA Healthcare hospitals nationwide. This ranking, established through a Gallup Poll Satisfaction Survey, measures patient satisfaction in 28 categories, including inpatient, outpatient, emergency department and ambulatory surgery.
Safe Medication Practices Award
Portsmouth Regional Hospital maintains an active and comprehensive medication safety program to prevent and reduce medication errors. PRH has been honored for its success by the Institute for Safe Medication Practice (ISMP), a nonprofit organization that is well known throughout the nation and around the world as an educational resource for the prevention of medication-system errors.
The hospital was singled out from hospitals nationwide to receive the Institute's Cheers Award, which honors individuals, organizations and companies that have set a superlative standard of excellence in education designed to improve safety in medication administration. The prestigious Cleveland Clinic received an honorable mention.
Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Ranked in Top 10
The Heart & Lung Center’s cardiac catheterization laboratory is ranked among HCA Healthcare’s Top Ten Peak Performers for quality outcomes. All hospitals within the HCA Healthcare system that perform at least 400 inpatient procedures annually are ranked according to several measures of quality.
Wound Care Center & Hyperbaric Services
In 2005, the Wound Care Center & Hyperbaric Services received:
#1 in the Nation - Achieving Excellence in the Inpatient
#3 in the Nation - Achieving Excellence in the Outpatient
#5 in the Nation - Achieving Excellence in the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Program
#1 Overall Program in the Region
#2 Excellence in Community Education
The awards, presented by Wound Care Centers, Inc., are based on customer satisfaction, healing outcomes and growth through excellence.
Diabetes Education Recognition Certificate
Awarded by the American Diabetes Association, this certificate recognizes that Portsmouth Regional Hospital’s Diabetes Resource Center offers high-quality diabetes self-management education - an essential component of effective diabetes treatment. The Association's Education Recognition Certificate assures that educational programs meet the National Standards.
Best Nursing Environment Award -- 1991, 1994
Awarded by the New Hampshire Nurses Association.
Business of the Year Awards - 1988 & 1989
Awarded by the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, and in 1989, awarded by Pro Portsmouth, Inc.
Accreditation
Joint Commission Accreditation
Portsmouth Regional Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission, which performs rigorous reviews of the nation's hospitals every three years. The accreditation process examines every aspect of patient care, medical practice and facility management.
We were most recently reviewed in 2007, and by demonstrating compliance with the Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety, Portsmouth Regional Hospital earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval.
Ambulatory Surgery Center Accreditation
Portsmouth Regional Hospital’s Ambulatory Surgery Center, which opened in October, 2002, is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). The accreditation means that the Center has passed a series of rigorous and nationally recognized standards for the provision of quality health care set by the AAAHC. More than 1,300 ambulatory health care organizations across the US are accredited by the AAAHC.
Bariatric Surgery Program Accreditation
The Bariatric Surgery (Surgical Weight Loss) Program at Portsmouth Regional Hospital is accredited as a Level 2b facility by the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BSCN) Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This designation means that Portsmouth Regional Hospital has met the essential criteria that ensure it is fully capable of supporting a bariatric surgery care program and that its institutional performance meets the requirements outlined by the ACS BSCN Accreditation Program. Accredited bariatric surgery centers provide not only the hospital resources necessary for optimal care of morbidly obese patients, but also the support and resources that are necessary to address the entire spectrum of care and needs of bariatric patients, from the pre-hospital phase through the postoperative care and treatment process. Our surgeons are Fellow-Trained Laparoscopic Surgeons of the American College of Surgeons and affiliates of the American Bariatric Society.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has designated Portsmouth Regional Hospital’s program as a Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery. This designation means that the facility’s overall experience and aggregate data met objective criteria established in collaboration with expert clinicians’ and leading medical societies’ recommendations.
Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program Certification
The Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programs at Portsmouth Regional Hospital are certified by The American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. Both programs are required to meet industry standards in many areas, including: safe exercise prescription, medical emergency preparedness, equipment maintenance, assessment and monitoring of patients during classes, staff education and competency, and quality assurance outcomes monitoring. AACVPR Program Certification is an endeavor to deliver the best cardiopulmonary exercise programs to the consumer.
Echocardiography Laboratory Accreditation
Portsmouth Regional Hospital's echocardiography lab was re-accredited in 2006 by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL). The laboratory is one of the first 1000 echocardiography laboratories in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico to be so recognized for its commitment to high quality patient care and its provision of quality diagnostic testing. Participation in the accreditation process is voluntary. Accreditation status signifies that the facility has been reviewed by an independent agency that recognizes the laboratory's commitment to quality testing for the diagnosis of heart disease.
Portsmouth Regional Hospital Cardiologist Peter Dourdoufis, D.O., F.A.C.C., was recently certified in Comprehensive Echocardiography by the National Board of Echocardiography. To receive this certification an applicant must have completed training in transthoracic, transesophagel and stress echocardiology. Dr. Dourdoufis is the only cardiologist in the Seacoast to achieve this high level of certification.
Laboratory Accreditation
Portsmouth Regional Hospital’s laboratory is accredited by the Commission on Laboratory Accreditation of the College of American Pathologists (CAP). The CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program, begun in the early 1960s, is recognized by the federal government as being equal to or more stringent than the government's own inspection program.
Inspectors examine the records and quality control of the laboratory for the preceding two years, as well as the education and qualifications of the total staff, the adequacy of the facilities, the equipment, laboratory safety, and laboratory management to determine how well the laboratory is serving the patient.
Mammography Accreditation
Our mammography department is fully accredited by the American College of Radiology, the country's oldest and largest accrediting body for mammography. The Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) of 1992 requires that all mammography facilities in the United States be (1) accredited by an approved body, (2) certified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and (3) receive an on-site inspection by a state agency acting on behalf of the HHS (or by HHS inspectors). Effective October 1, 1994, all mammography facilities in the United States were required to be certified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in accordance with the requirements of the MQSA. The FDA has designated the American College of Radiology (ACR) as an accrediting body for both screen-film and full-field digital mammography units. Portsmouth Regional Hospital’s mammography unit meets all governmental standards as well as those established by the American College of Radiology.