We've Done It Again!

Distinction means patients get higher quality of care, better infection protection.

Chicagoland -  For the third time running, Metropolitan Gastroenterology Consultants has earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval^®for Office Based Surgery Accreditation.

Darrien Gaston, MD, FACP, FACG, noted, “Here at Metro GI, we are always looking for state-of-the-art strategies to reduce risk to our patients and provide an ever-higher quality of care. Our Joint Commission Gold Seal means insurance companies see our practice more favorably.”

To earn this distinction, Metropolitan Gastroenterology Consultants was subjected to an intensive on-site review. During this visit, a Joint Commission reviewer evaluated the practice’s compliance with the standards for Office Based Surgery.

These standards concentrate on operational systems that are critical to the safety and quality of patient care, helping health care practitioners measure, analyze and improve results. The standards are guided by scientific publications and expert consensus and developed by a team that includes health care professionals, health care providers, specific subject matter experts, health care consumers and government agencies, including Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

These standards each have a positive impact on patient safety, quality of care and health outcomes, and meet or exceed current legislation and regulations. Compliance with standards for medication management, respecting the rights and responsibilities of each patient, infection prevention and control, leadership and more must be met to earn Accreditation.

“The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval is a symbol of quality that reflects Metropolitan Gastroenterology’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive, The Joint Commission. “We commend Metropolitan Gastroenterology Consultants and Dr. Darrien Gaston for continuous quality improvement efforts in patient safety and quality of care.”

Only about 1,900 practices and centers across the country are Joint Commission-accredited.

The Joint Commission Gold Seal Accreditation means that Metro GI and Dr. Gaston are, again for the third time in a row, affiliated with one of the most respected organizations in health care. Accreditation is valid for three years. For patients, this Accreditation means they can be sure Metro GI is continually working to provide the highest quality care.

Metropolitan Gastroenterology Consultants is located in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood and provides care for patients all around Chicagoland. Dr. Gaston is a Beverly native, graduated from Northwestern University and earned his medical degree at University of Illinois College of Medicine. He also earned a fellowship in Gastroenterology at Cook County Hospital.

The practice provides diagnosis and treatment for digestive issues, colon care, non-surgical hemorrhoid removal, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, heartburn and GERD. Dr. Gaston is especially interested in helping patients fight the obesity crisis and offers several non-surgical and minimally invasive temporary weight loss procedures.

Dr. Gaston stated, “Earning this Accreditation again helps our community understand that, here at Metro GI, patients are getting a very superior level of care with rigorous infection prevention and control. We are very proud that our efforts to provide the very best environment of care was again recognized.”