Livingston Regional Receives Sepsis Accreditation with Joint Comission

Livingston Regional Hospital Awarded Disease-Specific Certification for Sepsis from The Joint Commission

Certification recognizes the hospital for utilizing best clinical practices while treating sepsis.

LIVINGSTON, TN (January 13, 2025) – Livingston Regional Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval^® for Sepsis Certification by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a healthcare organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care. Livingston Regional is one of only two hospitals in Tennessee to attain this disease-specific certification.

The certification recognizes healthcare organizations that provide clinical programs across the continuum of care for sepsis, a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body's immune system has an extreme response to an infection. The certification evaluates how organizations use clinical outcomes and performance measures to identify opportunities to improve care, as well as to educate and prepare patients and their caregivers for discharge.

“We are excited to earn this prestigious certification from The Joint Commission,” said Tim McGill, CEO of Livingston Regional Hospital. “Hospitals treat numerous patients for infections, and infections can lead to sepsis. We feel that being as proficient as possible in diagnosing and caring for sepsis enhances the care we provide and further positions Livingston as the healthcare provider of choice in this area.”

Livingston Regional underwent a rigorous, unannounced onsite review on October 25 of last year. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with related certification standards including program scope of service; evidenced-based practice guidelines for care of patient with sepsis; clinical pathways and protocols; order sets specific to sepsis; patient/family education on sepsis; and quality improvement initiatives. Joint Commission standards are developed in consultation with healthcare experts and providers, measurement experts, and patients. The reviewers also conducted onsite observations and interviews.

“Sepsis 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 Livingston Regional 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.”

According to the End Sepsis Campaign, 1.7 million people in the U.S. develop sepsis each year, resulting in 350,000 deaths. Lynda Richardson, RN, Sepsis Coordinator at Livingston Regional, said the hospital sought to do its part in the fight again the disease by becoming a center of excellence in the care of sepsis.

“The gold standard was to become Joint Commission certified in Sepsis care,” she said. “We knew it was a lofty goal but with the full support of our administrative team, a dedicated group of professionals from different disciplines joined together to work to improve the care of our sepsis population. Using the highest clinical standards as our guide, we developed a sepsis clinical pathway, order sets, and nursing initiatives to meet the standards of excellence that we knew our patients deserved.

“Our team did an amazing job throughout the process,” she added. “It entailed work above and beyond their normal duties, and the learnings and collaboration we gleaned should benefit the hospital in how we provide care even beyond sepsis.”

For more information, please visit The Joint Commission website.

About Livingston Regional Hospital

Livingston Regional Hospital (LRH) is a 114-bed hospital providing a continuum of care covering all aspects of healthcare, including 24-hour emergency services, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitative services, Level II-A neonatal nursery, a 10-bed geropsych unit, and many other specialty services. Fully accredited by The Joint Commission, the hospital in Livingston serves an eight-county area in central Tennessee and southern Kentucky. Learn more about Livingston Regional, part of the ScionHealth network of hospitals, at MyLivingstonHospital.com.