CMH earns special accreditation from DNV Healthcare
Officials at Clarendon Memorial Hospital announce last week that it has achieved national accreditation from DNV Healthcare.
DNV Healthcare is the newest and first Medicare-approved hospital accreditation program that integrates a formal quality management system with Medicare hospital standards. These standards require an organization to evaluate the continuum of patient care throughout the entire healthcare system and take measured steps to improve when it is warranted.
“The DNV program is more consistent with our long-term commitment to patient safety and total quality,” said Clarendon Memorial Hospital’s Chief Executive Officer Edward R. Frye Jr.
“There has not been a new hospital accreditation organization in over 40 years. The ability to integrate a quality management system with our clinical and financial processes is a major step forward,” he added
DNV hospital accreditation addresses the demands of quality-driven hospitals that are dedicated to patient-centered care. As part of the accreditation process, DNV surveyors track the care of patients across various departments and facilities of Clarendon Memorial Hospital.
“It’s a much more holistic system,” said Frye. “DNV is very thorough, yet it doesn’t feel like an inspection. We see it as a collaboration. The DNV program helps us find opportunities throughout the organization to improve every day. We look upon accreditation as a strategic business tool and as source of empowerment for our staff. The DNV program keeps us moving forward.”
Being accredited allows Clarendon Memorial Hospital to receive reimbursement for its patients covered by Medicare and Medicaid. The DNV accreditation program was authorized by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2008 and is the only program that integrates the a quality management system with Medicare’s “Conditions of Participation,” the core requirements for hospitals set forth by the federal government.
The quality management program, known as ISO 9001:2008, is the only international standard that addresses systemic change in an organization. Currently more than a million organizations, over a broad range of disciplines, have adopted the ISO 9001:2008 standards for use in measuring and assessing quality control, customer satisfaction, customer communication, business growth plans and other management issues.
Clarendon Memorial Hospital will have three years to become compliant with the ISO 9001:2008 standards in order to maintain its accreditation with DNV.
Accreditation directly affects the quality of hospital care. While undergoing its accreditation process, leaders all levels in the Clarendon Health System make critical decisions about how they treat diseases, store medications, allocate nurse staffing and conducts billing and reimbursement.
By law, hospitals such as CMH must be compliant with the Medicare Conditions of Participation to be reimbursed for care provided to patients covered by Medicare and Medicaid. Accreditation is the process by which the hospital certifies that compliance; without it, CMH would only be able to provide care for a small fraction of the Clarendon community.
The big difference in the DNV accreditation program is its emphasis on continual improvement and innovation. DNV’s program, while being extremely rigorous, taps into the expertise of the hospital’s caregivers, techs and administrators to develop best practices.
“Our approach to accreditation acknowledges that every hospital is different and its needs and challenges are unique to the community it serves,” says Patrick Horine, senior vice president of Accreditation for DNV Healthcare. “We hold hospitals accountable to very high standards, and we empower them to innovate.”
The DNV accreditation program was approved by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services on Sept. 26, 2008 and is being embraced by hospitals across the country.
