St. Louis −Dr. Marya Strand, Interim Chief Medical Officer at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, announced today that the hospital has been verified as a Level I Children’s Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program (ACS CSV).
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. Verified centers must meet criteria outlined in the standards document, Optimal Resources for Children’s Surgical Care 2015. CSV standards ensure that children facing surgery receive care under a multidisciplinary program with quality improvement and safety processes, data collection and appropriate resources provided to them as patients at the hospital.
The CSV 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. “Achievement of this Verification is one more measure that reflects the dedication to the highest quality for our patients. The community can come to Cardinal Glennon trusting in the care that their children will receive when they require surgical procedures,” said Dr. Strand.
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon’s commitment to quality care begins with appropriately-trained staff and leadership from surgeons who participate in meetings throughout the year to review the center’s surgical outcomes. The surgical team seeks continuous improvement to enhance the structure, process, and outcomes of the center.
To become a verified center, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon met essential criteria for staffing, training, and 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.
“As one of only two Level I designated programs in Missouri, we are honored to offer this demonstration that every child throughout our region can receive the highest capability and quality outcomes in their care. Cardinal Glennon’s dedication to faith and healing is unique, powerful and truly available to everyone,” said Steven Burghart, president of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon.
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.