GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital’s surgical center has been verified as a Level 1 Children’s Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program.
It’s the only West Michigan hospital to have received this verification, according to a news release Monday.
“We are honored that Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital has earned this prestigious verification as a Level 1 Surgery Center as it is a reflection of our outstanding team,” said Hossain Marandi, president of Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. “Several studies have demonstrated that surgical outcomes are better when procedures are performed in a children’s hospital that specializes in the care of pediatric patients. Being a Level 1 Children’s Surgery Center means parents and caregivers can take comfort in knowing that Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital has expert surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, radiologists, intensivists and all other staff to care for the most complex pediatric surgical patients, from premature babies to teenagers.”
The ACS CSV program was developed to improve the quality of children’s surgical care by creating a system that allows for a prospective match of every child’s individual surgical needs with a care environment that has “optimal” pediatric resources.
The program is based on other nationally recognized American College of Surgeons quality improvement programs that have measurably improved surgical quality and have prevented complications, reduced costs and saved lives.
To become a verified center, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital met essential criteria for staffing, training facility infrastructure and protocols for care, ensuring its ability to appropriately care for children who are surgical patients.
The center also participates in a national data registry that yields semiannual reports on the quality of its processes and outcomes, thus identifying opportunities for continuous quality improvement.
After submitting an application, centers seeking verification undergo an extensive site visit by an ACS team of surveyors.
The surveyor teams consist of experienced children’s surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses who review the center’s structure, process and clinical outcomes data.
The current “Optimal Resources for Children’s Surgical Care” manual drives the application and is used as a guideline in conducting the survey.
