Shady Grove Adventist Hospital’s accreditation status has been upgraded by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), the lead accrediting agency for hospitals in the United States.  The decision, communicated to hospital administrators on September 29, followed a comprehensive, unannounced three-day survey conducted by JCAHO surveyors at the hospital on September 11 to 13. 

Saying he is “very pleased” with the survey results, William G. Robertson, president and chief executive officer of Adventist HealthCare, the non-profit parent company that operates Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, added that: “The progress we have made at the hospital is a testament to the commitment and teamwork of our medical staff and our employees who have worked together to initiate the necessary changes at the hospital.”

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital had been placed on “Conditional Accreditation” after a full, unannounced survey conducted in February 2000 found fault with some of the hospital’s quality assurance mechanisms.  Following the September survey, the accreditation rating has been upgraded to one held by 85 percent of hospitals in the United States—Accreditation with Type I Recommendations.

Founded in 1979, Shady Grove Adventist Hospital is a 253-bed facility located on the Life Sciences Center campus in Rockville, Maryland.  Its parent company, Adventist HealthCare, also operates Washington Adventist Hospital; a community hospital in New Jersey; the Potomac Ridge psychiatric facility adjacent to Shady Grove; a large home-health agency and seven nursing centers around Maryland.