St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital today announced the institution has earned accreditation by DNV, the global healthcare accrediting body that emphasizes patient safety and continuous improvement every year in hospitals and health care systems.
Accreditation is a voluntary program in which trained external peer reviewers evaluate a healthcare organization’s compliance and compare it with pre-established performance standards. Using accreditation programs is one of the ways St. Jude evaluates clinical outcomes and quality of patient care for a wide spectrum of clinical conditions.
“DNV shares our values in prioritizing patient care and will help us continue to advance the high-quality treatment we provide each day,” said James Hoffman, PharmD, St. Jude senior vice president Quality and Safety. “This collaborative relationship will help us refine processes that benefit our unique patient population.”
This new accreditation marked a switch by St. Jude to DNV. St. Jude will work with the accrediting body on an annual basis. DNV uses various methods to assess compliance. Surveyors interview staff and patients for feedback, review medical records and documentation, and evaluate institutional policies and procedures. The organization provides tools that will help St. Jude staff identify areas of risk on a continual basis and address concerns before they become problematic. Following each survey, St. Jude receives formal feedback, which is used as an opportunity to strengthen processes and improve patient care.
“Partnering with St. Jude is testament to our shared ambition to achieve highest quality standards in healthcare. The commitment of St. Jude to top tier care experiences and health outcomes is longstanding and DNV is well positioned to help continue that legacy,” said Kelly Proctor, President of Healthcare, Supply Chain and Product Assurance at DNV. “This collaboration underscores our commitment to advancing excellence and accountability in healthcare, ensuring every young patient at St. Jude receives the safest and most effective care possible."
DNV integrates ISO 9001 Quality Management Standards with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation (CoPs). The international ISO 9001 standards create a system of continual improvement that is driven by customer needs. Previously, St. Jude was accredited by The Joint Commission.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood cancer, sickle cell disease, and other life-threatening disorders. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened more than 60 years ago. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. To learn more, visit stjude.org, read St. Jude Progress, a digital magazine, and follow St. Jude on social media at @stjuderesearch.