Southwest Memorial Hospital was surveyed over a period of days recently by DNV Healthcare, Inc. (DNV) and was awarded three-year accreditation from the organization, according to a written release from the hospital. This was the hospitals first DNV survey, having previously been accredited by The Joint Commission. Accreditation through DNV requires hospitals to undergo a survey annually, maintain specific safety standards, continuously evaluate the quality and effectiveness of patient care throughout the organization, and take steps to improve processes and procedures when warranted. Accreditation is required for hospitals that accept reimbursement from the federal and state government for providing care to Medicare and Medicaid patients.
Were very happy with our decision to switch our accrediting organization to DNV, said hospital CEO Kent Helwig. The team of surveyors focused their attention on looking at what were doing well, where we have opportunities to improve, and on educating our staff about new standards of care in the process. Its a very collaborative process.
Within days of the DNV survey teams departure, the hospital was inspected by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. That survey was conducted to validate the DNV findings. Both surveys validated that we are meeting the requirements outlined by the Federal and State government, said Helwig. Through these reviews we were able to identify other opportunities to continue our ongoing quality improvement efforts and work toward perfection.
The hospitals clinical laboratory was also recently surveyed by the College of American Pathologists and received full accreditation. Altogether, we had surveyors from three different organizations on site for a total of 14 days, said Helwig. Our employees and physicians do an outstanding job taking care of patients. We welcome this level of scrutiny and review from outside agencies and look forward to DNVs return visit later this year.
Southwest Memorial Hospital is an affiliate of Southwest Health System, Inc., which also operates four hospital-affiliated outpatient primary care clinics in Cortez. DNV Healthcare, Inc. is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Det Norske Veritas, a global independent foundation dedicated to safeguarding life, property, and the environment.