DNV GL Recertified to Survey Critical Access Hospitals as Record Number Attend Virtual Conference
Four-Year Renewal Demonstrates CMS’ Confidence in Nation’s Fastest-Growing Accreditation Firm
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has renewed DNV GL Healthcare to continue certifying critical access hospitals (CAHs) for four years. The length of the renewal is a significant show of confidence in DNV GL as an accrediting organization.
“With the intense reviews of the accreditation organizations by CMS, we are pleased to have received a four-year renewal. This is the result of the skill and dedication of our surveying staff and our absolute dedication to promoting continuous quality improvement in the hospital setting,” said DNV GL Healthcare President Patrick Horine.
Critical access hospitals are often the only acute care facilities for miles around. They receive additional funding from the Medicare program to ensure that rural residents of the United States have ongoing access to healthcare services.
DNV GL integrates the ISO 9001 quality management system as part of its NIAHO® accreditation standards. Surveys are also conducted annually, as opposed to three to five years by most other accrediting organizations and state regulators.
The accreditation came just before DNV GL held its virtual conference, which took the place of their annual in-person symposium. DNV GL made the decision to conduct a virtual conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference drew a record number of attendees. Sessions covered COVID-19, telehealth and emergency preparedness, among others.
“It was extraordinarily heartening that nearly 1,000 people in the healthcare field chose to attend our four days of conference sessions,” Horine said. “It bodes remarkably well for our future conferences, and we hope the next such event will be conducted in person.”
Hundreds of hospitals across the United States have switched to DNV GL Healthcare over the past decade, making it the nation’s fastest-growing accrediting body. The organization accredits/certifies more than 600 hospitals nationwide.
A recent report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services concluded that disparity rate of DNV GL’s surveys were significantly more likely to match CMS standards than any other accrediting organization in the nation.
“We want to identify innovative practices and approaches to address aspects that improve quality, efficiency and enhance patient care,” said Gary Davis, DNV GL Business Assurance Americas Regional Manager. “Our success is attributable to the unique approach we take with our hospital customers to use the quality management system to their advantage.”