Chief executive officer of Southwest Health System
Ive been in my position at Southwest Memorial Hospital for a little over four months now, and would like to take this opportunity to update the community on some very important changes that are occurring. Before I get into sharing whats been happening at the hospital, though, let me first say how much my family and I are enjoying living in Cortez. My wife Kay and I have both found the people here to be among the friendliest and most helpful weve encountered. I continue to be awed each and every day by the professionalism and talent of the employees at Southwest Memorial Hospital. The physicians are superb, and their dedication to outstanding patient care and to the success of the hospital is world-class.
I know one concern local citizens have had about Southwest Memorial is that the hospital has been managed by a outside company. Im pleased to announce that as of Nov. 22, 2011, all employees of the hospital now work exclusively for the hospital, and I am accountable directly to Southwest Health Systems Board of Directors. Your local hospital is now truly locally managed and operated.
We do maintain a business relationship with Quorum Health Resources (QHR), however, with the organization serving in an advisory capacity to the hospital. QHR manages more than 100 hospitals across the country and has access to resources and discounts that we could never get on our own. Its good business for us to partner with QHR and take advantage of those services, as well as their teams knowledge and expertise in a variety of areas as we navigate the complex and continuously changing health care environment.
Another important update is that we are changing our accreditation process, which will result in more efficient and accurate evaluations of the hospitals services and operations and allow for continuous quality improvement. Beginning in January, Southwest Memorial Hospital will use Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Healthcare, Inc. to conduct required accreditation surveys.
By law, hospitals must comply with federally mandated regulations in order to be reimbursed for providing care to patients covered by Medicare and Medicaid. Most insurance programs also require such compliance. Hospitals can verify their compliance in one of two ways. They can choose to be accredited by one of three private organization: DNV, The Joint Commission or the American Osteopathic Association. They can also be certified by government itself, usually through state health departments.
Under Southwest Memorial Hospitals previous accreditation process through The Joint Commission, a team of assessors would visit the hospital once every three years. One of the chief differences with DNV will be the change to a full accreditation survey every year. Survey teams include a physician or registered nurse, as well as additional surveyors, each with extensive backgrounds in healthcare. These surveyors assess our compliance with a wide variety of regulations and, at the same time, educate our staff on best practices.
One advantage of the DNV accreditation program is its emphasis on continual improvement and innovation. Historically, accreditation has been a rigid inspection, not at all focused on promoting new ideas within the hospital. DNVs program, while extremely rigorous, taps into the know-how of the hospitals caregivers, technicians and administrators to develop best practices.
Earning national accreditation through a program such as DNV demonstrates our long-term commitment to quality care, process improvement, patient safety and excellence in health care delivery. DNV is nicely aligned with the long-term commitment and programs at Southwest Memorial Hospital, and partnering with them will help us identify our strengths so we can continue to excel in those areas and assist us in finding opportunities to improve.
DNV Healthcares hospital accreditation process is the only program that integrates the International Standards Organization 9001 quality management system with the federal regulations. ISO 9001 is recognized by businesses around the world, including Skanska locally, as the benchmark for continual quality improvement. It provides a tried and tested framework and systematic approach to managing an organizations processes so they consistently meet customers expectations. By integrating ISO 9001 standards with compliance standards, DNVs hospital accreditation program emphasizes standardized processes, continual improvement and innovation. Partnering with DNV allows us to worry less about the accreditation survey itself and spend more time on what matters most delivering superior care to patients.
DNV Healthcare is a subsidiary of Det Norske Veritas, an international, independent, self-supported, tax-paying foundation that has more than 300 offices in more than 100 countries and more than 9,000 employees. Established in 1864 in Oslo, Norway, DNV has had a presence in the U.S. since 1898. DNV has a worldwide reputation for quality and integrity in certification, standards development and risk management in a wide range of industries, including extensive international health care experience. Since receiving its federal authorization in 2008, DNVs process quickly became recognized for taking a collaborative approach to working with hospitals on quality improvement.
We have lots of other activities going on. Ill update you again soon, and look in your mailbox early in 2012 for our next quarterly newsletter that will provide additional information on our programs and services. Southwest Memorial is your hospital. I encourage all of you to be involved as we strive to be the best small, rural hospital in the United States.
Kent Helwig, FACHE, is the chief executive officer of Southwest Health System.