Shore Medical Center's Lumbar and Cervical Spine Surgery programs have earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ for health care quality by The Joint Commission. Shore is only one of three hospitals in the country to receive this certification. To earn this distinction, a disease management program undergoes an extensive, on-site evaluation by a team of Joint Commission reviewers every two years.

The program is evaluated against Joint Commission standards through an assessment of a program’s processes, the program’s ability to evaluate and improve care within its own organization, and interviews with patients and staff.

“This certification means Shore does the right things and does them well for lumbar and cervical spine surgery patients,” says Jean E. Range, R.N., executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, Joint Commission.

With the exception of a major medical center in northern New Jersey, more neck and spine surgeries are performed at Shore than at any other hospital in the state.

“The hospital was motivated to pursue this accreditation because of the opportunity it affords to have the quality of care evaluated by a truly independent organization,” said Dr. Scott Strenger, medical director of the Shore Neuroscience Center. “The surveyors take great care to look for areas that would benefit from improvement, but Shore Medical Center's care and evaluation processes were found to be stellar and no recommendations for improvement were made by The Joint Commission team. It is quite an honor and a compliment to the staff.”

The only way this type of national distinction can be achieved is through extraordinary teamwork that is exemplified every day, with every patient. Shore credits this accomplishment to Strenger’s leadership and that of the hospital's preeminent neurosurgeons including Dr. Fernando Delasotta, division director of neurosurgery, Dr. Andrew Glass and Dr. Robert Sabo, and the finest team of nurses, educators, technicians, physical therapists and support staff who deliver the exceptional care required for these complicated surgical procedures. 

The Shore Memorial Neuroscience Center also has The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval™ as a Primary Stroke Center. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.