LAKELAND, FLORIDA - May 25, 2010. Lakeland Surgical and Diagnostic Center Griffin Road Campus has achieved accreditation by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). Accreditation distinguishes this surgical center from many other outpatient surgical facilities by providing a safe work environment and the highest quality of care to its patients.

Status as an accredited organization means Lakeland Surgical and Diagnostic Center Griffin Road Campus has met nationally recognized standards for the provision of quality health care, set by the AAAHC. Not all ambulatory health care organizations seek accreditation and not all undergoing the on-site survey are granted accreditation.

"We believe our patients deserve the best", stated Jill Daly, Marketing Director of Lakeland Surgical and Diagnostic center. "When you see our certificate of accreditation, you will know that AAAHC, an independent, not-for-profit organization, has closely examined our facility and procedures. It means that we as an organization care enough about our patients to strive for the highest care possible." In fact, Lakeland Surgical and Diagnostic Center has a very low infection rate at less than one half of one percent compared nationally through the Ambulatory Surgical Association. The unannounced inspection and accreditation includes stringent CMS infection control guidelines.

Ambulatory health care organizations seeking accreditation by the AAAHC undergo an extensive self-assessment and on-site survey by the AAAHC's expert surveyors - volunteer physicians, nurses, and administrators who are actively involved in ambulatory health care. The unannounced survey is consultative and educational, presenting best practices to help an organization improve its care and services.

"Going through the process challenged us to find better ways to serve our patients, and it is a constant reminder that our responsibility is to our patients and the quality of care we provide," said Daly.

AAAHC accreditation is specifically for organizations that provide diagnostic or medical care on an outpatient basis - where an overnight stay would not be required. Among the types of ambulatory health care organizations that can seek AAAHC accreditation are ambulatory and office-based surgery centers, single and multi-specialty group practices, college health centers, dental group practices, community health centers, occupational health centers, and managed care organizations.

Lakeland Surgical and Diagnostic Center Griffin Road Campus was established in 2004 and is located at 818 Griffin Road, Lakeland, Florida. This multi-specialty outpatient center is in addition to the main campus located directly behind Lakeland Regional Medical Center. Due to the increased number of patients, the Griffin Road Campus of LSDC just completed renovations adding a second operating room, as well as expanding the patient waiting area. Lakeland Surgical and Diagnostic Center provides outpatient setting for its patients that far exceeds the industry norm.

The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), founded in 1979, is the leader in ambulatory health care Accreditation with almost 5,000 organizations, accredited nationwide. The AAAHC accredits a variety of ambulatory health care organizations, including ambulatory surgery centers, office-based surgery centers, endoscopy centers, college student health cares, military health care clinics, and large medical and dental practices. The AAAHC serves as an advocate for the provisions of high-quality health care through the development of nationally recognized standards and through its survey and accreditation programs. AAAHC accreditation is recognized as a symbol of quality by third-party payers, medical organizations, liability insurance companies, state and federal agencies and the public.

Media Contact: Jill Daly, Director of Marketing

Lakeland Surgical and Diagnostic Center, LLP

JDaly@LSDC.net

Becker's ASC Review/Becker's Hospital Review has announced its list of the "100 Best Places to Work in healthcare." The 2010 list was developed through nominations and research, and the following organizations were selected for their demonstrated excellence in providing a work environment that promotes teamwork, professional development and quality patient care.

For a variety of reasons, the editors ultimately determined to exclude certain categories of companies from the list and thus didn't include any companies from the following categories: valuation firms, billing and collections companies and minority ownership ASC companies. Clearly certain companies in these areas were also worthy of inclusion.

LAKELAND SURGICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC CENTER (Lakeland, Fl)

Type of facility: Ambulatory surgery center

What makes it a Best Place to Work: LSDC is owned by two large physician practices and an 850-bed regional medical center. The ASC consists of three campuses, and LSDC sees some 18,000 patients annually. The center offers its employees benefits such as profit-sharing, five-year bonuses, health insurance, a 401(k) plan and out-of-work functions such as holiday parties. The company also offers tuition assistance and an employee recognitions program. Turnover at LSDC remains below 15 percent, and the average length of employment is around 8 years.

Supervisors at LSDC make a point of interacting with patients, and the center's CEO, David Daniel, walks through the facility at least twice daily. The ASC supports education and advancement within the facility by looking to promote from within before looking outside the ASC to hire. "The staff morale is extremely high, which translates into high patient satisfaction and makes the ASC the facility of choice for physicians in the area," Mr.Daniel says.

CTQ Solutions Announces 2008/2009 Apex Quality Award Winners for Healthcare Excellence.

The 2008/2009 CTQ Apex Quality Award recognizes ambulatory surgery centers, endoscopy centers and surgical hospitals for excellence in patient satisfaction and overall quality of care.

Branford, CT (PRWEB) September 18, 2009 -- CTQ Solutions announces this year's recipients of the Apex Quality Awards for 2009. This distinction recognizes outstanding healthcare organizations that demonstrate the highest levels of excellence in patient satisfaction throughout the United States in markets served by CTQ.

"Excellence merits recognition," said CTQ President and Chief Executive Officer, Paul G Faraclas. "As the industry leader in outpatient surveying, CTQ is proud to assume the responsibility of honoring healthcare's elite organizations." The Apex winners represent healthcare facilities who consistently achieved the highest level of patient satisfaction for 2008/2009. Key performance indicators common to all ambulatory surgery centers and specialty hospitals are utilized to determine the award winners. Twenty-three surgery centers, endoscopy centers and surgical hospitals from 14 different states are recognized this year.

Faraclas notes, "The finalist presented came without surprise. Each organization's leadership thrives on learning from patient feedback. Each provider capitalizes on the use of electronic surveying to maximize and expedite survey responses and express a commitment to quality improvement. Most of these organizations also survey their employees and physicians to gain insight from all perspectives. These organizations appear to have excellence hardwired in their cultural DNA.".

CTQ serves healthcare facilities in all 50 states, primarily in ambulatory surgery, in patient care, diagnostic imaging and physicians practice management.

The complete list of Apex Quality Award recipients includes (alphabetically):

Ambulatory Surgery Centers: Dearborn Surgery Center, Eye Surgery Center of Nashville, Glasgow Surgery Center, Indiana Surgery Center Noblesville, Lakeland Surgical and Diagnostic Center , Marysville Ohio Surgical center, Midland Surgical Center, New Braunfels Surgical Center, Ohio Surgery Center, Ridgewood Surgery and Endoscopy Center, South Texas Surgical Center, Southern New Mexico Surgery Center, St.Lucie Surgery Center, Surgery Center at Hamilton, Surgery Center of Decatur and UnaSource Center.

Endoscopy: Community Center for Digestive Care, Lebanon Endoscopy Center and Wichita Falls Endoscopy Center

Surgical hospitals: Fairway Medical Center, Manhattan Surgical Hospital and Surgical Hospital of Munster

To learn more about the Apex Quality Awards and eligibility requirements, please visit www.ctqsolutions.com/csp/ctqprod/WSCTQApex.html . CTQ will announce the 2009 leaders in physician practice and outpatient diagnostic services at the beginning of 2010.

About CTQ Solutions, LLC:

Since 2003, CTQ Solutions, LLC has provided healthcare facilities with the opportunity to optimize patient feedback by integrating electronic surveying with paper-based surveying. CTQ, which stands for Critical to Quality, offers an integrated patient satisfaction, referring physician satisfaction, employee surveying, benchmarking and quality improvement solution that allows facilities to improve care and service. CTQ is the clinical benchmarking arm of the Physician Hospitals of America and is a CMS-certified HCAHPS vendor.

Contact:

Scott McHugh, Vice President

877.208.7605 ext 102