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Onward Healthcare Announces Recertification by The Joint Commission

Over the past decade, the ongoing shortages of nurses and allied health care professionals have forced healthcare organizations to increasingly fill positions with temporary workers through contractual arrangements with travel nursing and related staffing firms. The Joint Commission's certification program, launched in October 2004, offers an independent, comprehensive evaluation of a staffing firm's abilities to provide competent staffing services.

The Joint Commission recently completed an unannounced, on-site review of Onward Healthcare and its compliance with their organization and quality management standards. These standards address how a healthcare staffing firm determines the qualifications and competencies of their staff, recruits and retains healthcare professionals, enacts emergency management procedures, and supports their healthcare clients by managing a comprehensive quality management process.

"The Joint Commission's external review of our operations validates our ongoing commitment to our clients, as well as our thousands of healthcare professionals across the country," stated Kevin Clark, CEO and founder of Onward Healthcare. "The Gold Seal demonstrates our commitment to the highest standards of patient care, which we have achieved through innovative practice changes designed to raise the bar in our industry."

In 2005, Onward Healthcare was one of the first companies to receive full certification by The Joint Commission for its travel nursing, local nursing, and allied health staffing services. In addition to the renewed recognition for its travel and local nursing and allied services, Onward has also received certification for its clinical research services (CRS) division which launched in November of 2007. Organizations in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and related clinical research industries can now be assured the same high caliber of professionals when looking to Onward for their staffing needs.

"Healthcare organizations that contract with Onward Healthcare can look to this certification as an assurance that their entire organization demonstrates a commitment to providing and continuously improving quality services," says Michele Sacco, M.S., executive director, Health Care Staffing Services Certification, Joint Commission.

The Joint Commission's review process focuses on an organization's ability to provide competent staffing services and evaluates performance, continuing education and training, placement criteria, and other areas. Furthermore, they look for excellence in the areas of leadership, human resources management, performance measurement and improvement, and information management.

About Onward Healthcare

Onward Healthcare (http://www.onwardhealthcare.com/company/about.aspx) is a leading provider of integrated travel and local per diem staffing for registered nurses, allied health professionals, clinical research professionals, international candidates and vendor managed services for large health systems. Onward currently staffs clients in all 50 states including hospitals, outpatient clinics, magnet facilities, government facilities, schools, and long-tem care facilities. Founded in 2002, Onward Healthcare is headquartered inWilton, CT with local staffing offices inEncinitas, CA, Burlington, MA,Crofton, MD,Cherry Hill, NJ,Livingston, NJ,Melville, NY, andWexford, PA.

About The Joint Commission

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs inthe United States, including more than 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,800 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. In addition, The Joint Commission provides certification of disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.

SOURCE Onward Healthcare