HOUSTON: The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has informed DNV Healthcare that its application to deem hospitals in compliance with the Medicare Conditions of Participation has been accepted as complete and ready for formal review.

If approved, DNV stands to become the first new option for hospital accreditation in over 40 years. Information about DNV’s application and the need for alternative accreditation is available at www.newaccreditation.com.

According to the notification from CMS, the formal review period commenced on March 12, 2008, and a 30-day public comment period will begin in late April with publication of this CMS notice in the Federal Register.

“This is a turning point, not just for us, but for the many hospitals seeking a new approach,” says the President of DNV Healthcare, Yehuda Dror. “Healthcare spending is over two trillion dollars a year, yet preventable medical errors are still on the rise. Hospitals do not need more pressure to improve, they need the tools that will help them change the system from within. If we can innovate the accreditation process, we give hospitals the key to systemic change.”

Measureable improvement in patient safety
DNV has developed the National Integrated Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations℠program (NIAHO℠) which blends ISO 9001 quality management with Medicare’s Conditions of Participation for Hospitals. The result is a more streamlined accreditation process that captures “best practices” and turns them into standard practices across the organisation, leading to sustainable, continual improvement. Healthcare providers implementing NIAHO℠have begun to realise significant measurable improvement in patient safety, health outcomes and financial performance.

Date: 2008-03-31