Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital is proud to announce that it has now achieved full national accreditation from DNV Healthcare, the only hospital accreditation program approved by the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that integrates the ISO 9001 Quality Management System with the Medicare Conditions of Participation. DNV’s NIAHOR accreditation program requires hospitals to evaluate the continuum of patient care throughout its facilities 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 Phoebe’s President and CEO Joel Wernick. “There has not been a new approach to hospital accreditation in a very long time. The ability to integrateISO 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 Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital 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” said Wernick. “DNV is very thorough and it doesn’t feel like an inspection. We see collaboration. The DNV program helps us find opportunities throughout the organization to improve every day. This is a welcomed change. We look upon accreditation as a strategic business tool and as a mechanism to empower our staff.”