National Healthcare Staffing, LLC and TVL Healthcare Awarded Joint Commission Certification.

MIAMI -- National Healthcare Staffing, LLC ("National") and its subsidiary, TVL Healthcare ("TVL") have both achieved the Gold Seal of Approval(TM) for health care staffing services. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has awarded National and TVL Health Care Staffing Services Certification for two years.

National and TVL met national standards addressing how staffing firms determine the qualifications and competency of their staff, how they place their staff and then monitor staff's performance.

"Health care organizations that contract with National and TVL can look to this certification as an assurance that National and TVL demonstrate a commitment to providing and continuously improving quality services," says Michele Sacco, executive director, Health Care Staffing Services Certification, Joint Commission.

The ongoing shortages of health care professionals, primarily nurses have forced health care organizations to increasingly fill positions with temporary workers through contractual arrangements with staffing firms. The Joint Commission certification program was launched in October 2004 to offer an independent, comprehensive evaluation of a staffing firm's abilities to provide competent staffing services.

"This certification recognizes National's and TVL's dedication to providing qualified nurses who deliver high-quality care to patients," says Peter Kilissanly, President & CEO. "We're proud to receive the Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval."

National is a portfolio company of the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group, which provides healthcare professionals to over 1,200 facilities throughout the United States. TVL is a subsidiary of National which focuses primarily on the recruitment and placement of healthcare professionals in operating rooms.

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 nearly 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the 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 and primary stroke centers. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.