Ingalls Receives New Quality-Based Accreditation From DNV Healthcare

Ingalls Health System has achieved national accreditation from DNV Healthcare, the only hospital accreditation program approved by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that integrates the ISO 9001 Quality Management System with the Medicare Conditions of Participation. In addition, Ingalls is the first health system in Illinois to achieve ISO certification.

DNV’s accreditation program requires hospitals to evaluate the full continuum of patient care throughout its facilities and take measured steps to improve when it is warranted.

More than 32,000 organizations in the United States are ISO 9001:2008 certified; of those, only 40 are hospitals.

“The DNV program is more consistent with our long-term commitment to patient safety and total quality,” says Kurt E. Johnson, President and CEO of Ingalls Health System. “There has not been a new approach to hospital accreditation in a very long time. The ability to integrate ISO 9001 quality disciplines with our clinical and financial processes is a major step forward.”

DNV hospital accreditation addresses the demands of today’s hospitals dedicated to patient-centered care. As part of the accreditation process, DNV surveyors will visit Ingalls annually instead of every three years as was done previously. They monitor the hospital’s adherence to patient safety criteria established by CMS, but also evaluate processes that impact patient care across various departments and facilities of the hospital.

“It’s a much more holistic system,” Johnson added. “The DNV program helps us find opportunities throughout the organization to improve every day. This is a welcomed change. We now look upon accreditation as a strategic tool and as a mechanism to empower our staff.”

Being accredited by DNV allows Ingalls to receive reimbursement for its patients covered by Medicare and Medicaid. The DNV accreditation program was authorized by CMS in 2008, and today DNV provides not only hospital accreditation but also Primary Stroke Center Certification.

Around the globe, ISO standards are considered the “gold” standard for all industries. The standards help Ingalls provide consistent patient care, ensuring that operational processes lead to both expected and improved patient outcomes.

“ISO certification is important because a third-party entity verifies that an organization has quality management standards that meet and exceed what would be expected in an organization,” adds Linda Ambrosecchia, director of Quality, Infection Control, Patient Safety and Accreditation at Ingalls.

“ISO-9001 is centered on quality,” she concluded. “Because patient care is built on a continuum of treatment and services with numerous interrelated care processes, hospitals that use the ISO process can standardize practices and hold management accountable for reducing process variations along the care continuum.  This new approach for healthcare strengthens the link between external oversight and the development of safe, effective and efficient patient care processes”

In addition to DNV accreditation, Ingalls has received numerous commendations for quality in the last year, including an America’s Best Hospitals rating by HealthGrades; a designation as an orthopedics center of excellence by Cigna; and for the second time, a designation as a Blue Distinction Center for knee and hip replacement and spine surgery by Blue Cross and Blue Shield. What’s more, for the 13^th straight year, Ingalls has ended its fiscal year in a sound financial position.

“At Ingalls, we are proud to maintain a high level of quality within a context of financial stewardship,” Johnson concluded. “Our commitment to both has placed Ingalls at the forefront of quality and positioned us well for healthcare reform.”