Awards, Accreditations and Memberships

Awards and Recognition

The Hospital has been the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions.

  • Middlesex Hospital was named one of the top 100 hospitals in the United States during 2005 by Solucient 100 Top Hospitals®: National Benchmarks for Success, 12th Edition study. Recognized in the medium community hospitals class, Middlesex Hospital is the only community hospital in Connecticut and one of only 60 community hospitals in the country to earn this designation.

  • During 2005, The Pregnancy and Birth Center at Middlesex Hospital also received designation as "Baby-Friendly" by Baby-Friendly USA. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative recognizes hospitals that provide an optimal level of care and information for breastfeeding moms.

  • In June 2001, the Hospital became Connecticut's first and only "Magnet Hospital". This designation is awarded by the American Nurses Association to recognize nursing excellence. The Hospital earned redesignation status in 2005. There are only approximately 209 other Magnet Hospitals in the United States. This award has greatly enhanced the Hospital's recruitment and retention of top nursing professionals.

  • The Hospital received the first ever NCQA accreditation for hospital based disease management programs.

  • In 2006, we received the prestigious Connecticut Hospital Association Award for Community Benefit, and their award for Clinical Excellence. This was the first time that the same hospital received both awards.

  • The Hospital was designated one of only 11 demonstration sites across the country for piloting Medicare pay for performance.

  • In 2002, Middlesex Hospital received the VHA Northeast Innovation Award for Information Technology Enhancement in 2002 for its Clinical Data Repository.

Accreditation and Memberships

  • The Hospital is licensed by the Connecticut State Department of Public Health and participates in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (“JCAHO”) with the most recent accreditation effective until 2008. The National Committee for Quality Assurance has also accredited the Hospital’s disease management programs.

  • The Hospital participates in the Connecticut State Professional Review Organization and is licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Connecticut State Department of Public Health (Department of Radiation Safety) and by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The laboratory is accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks and by the College of Pathologists' inspection and accreditation program. The Hospital is a member of the American Hospital Association, the Voluntary Hospitals of America and the Connecticut Hospital Association.

  • JCAHO – The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations is the most recognized accrediting agency for hospitals and healthcare organizations. Accreditation surveys are voluntary, but most hospitals do volunteer to participate. Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement are contingent upon JCAHO survey findings and JCAHO accreditation is considered the “stamp of approval” for hospitals by healthcare consumers. Surveys are performed every three years and consist of evaluation of the hospital against hundreds of standards, including those relating to patient rights, assessment and care of patients, quality, leadership, management of information, medical staff, nursing and infection control. In its last survey in 2002, Middlesex Hospital received a score of 94 (out of a possible 100); Middlesex Hospital Homecare received a score of 99 and Behavioral Health received a perfect score of 100.

  • Magnet status – On June 1, 2001, Middlesex Hospital became Connecticut’s first and only Magnet hospital, a prestigious mark of nursing excellence awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), an arm of the American Nurses Association. Less than 2% of hospitals in the United States are designated as Magnet hospitals.

  • State Department of Public Health Licensure – The State Department of Public Health inspects all hospitals at least every three years, utilizing the Public Health Codes as criteria for their review. Middlesex Hospital maintains uninterrupted state licensure.

  • American College of Surgeons – The Middlesex Hospital Cancer Center is approved by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). The ACS Commission's approval program sets standards for cancer programs and reviews the programs to make sure they conform to those standards.

  • College of American Pathologists (CAP) — CAP is a private, not-for-profit accrediting organization that has been approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and its requirements deemed as equivalent to or more stringent than CMS’s regulatory requirements. The goal of the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program is to improve the quality of clinical laboratory services through voluntary participation, professional peer review, education and compliance with established performance standards. Upon successful completion of the inspection process, the laboratory is awarded CAP accreditation, and becomes part of an exclusive group of more than 6,000 laboratories worldwide that have met the highest standards of excellence.

  • Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) — Middlesex Hospital holds a license from the NRC for the radioactive materials it uses in certain imaging and radiation oncology procedures. The Hospital’s linear accelerator is registered with the State of Connecticut and its mammography center is certified by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Public Health Service of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

  • Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) – The Middlesex Hospital Family Practice Residency is accredited by the ACGME. The ACGME is a private, non-profit organization that accredits more than 7,800 residency programs in 119 specialties and subspecialties affecting nearly 100,000 residents. Its mission is to improve the quality of patient care through improving and maintaining the quality of graduate medical education for physicians training in the United States. Accreditation is voluntary, however, programs must be ACGME-accredited in order to receive graduate medical education funds from the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Residents must graduate from ACGME-accredited programs to be eligible to take their board certification examinations. In addition, Connecticut requires two years of study in an ACGME-accredited residency program for physician licensure.

  • National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) – In 2003, Integrated Resources for the Middlesex Area, LLC (IRMA), received full accreditation for its disease management programs from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). IRMA is the first and only community-based health system in the country to receive this honor.