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DNV GL Healthcare Strives To Cut Hospital Mortality RatesA new study concluded that hospital mortality dropped during times of visits from a national accreditation organization. DNV GL Healthcare focuses on reducing patient deaths in hospitals around-the-clock. Most accreditation bodies work closely with a hospital every few years. Extra vigilance among staff tends to kick in only when auditors appear. But DNV GL's team works continuously with hospital staff to ensure that the institution is always operating at peak efficiency and safety. DNV GL staff not only appear for the accreditation audit, but return for regular "checkups" to focus on areas where there remains room for improvement. As a result, there is no tailing off in clinical quality between visits. "It certainly keeps us continuously accreditation ready," said Barbara Covelli, Corporate Director of Regulatory Compliance for Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston, West Virginia. "We don't have the time to fall into bad habits." DNV GL helps hospitals accomplish such feats through the following innovations: A Non-Adversarial Relationship: Hospital complance executives typically dread the audit/accreditation process. That's because many accreditation bodies arrive on-site with their own agenda - and their own way for implementing it. DNV GL's process is entirely collaborative. Staff are specifically chosen for their collaborative attitude and trained to work with hospitals as partners rather than adversaries. ISO 9001 - A Unique Approach in Accreditation: Many accreditation bodies have their own set of standards that fluctuate based on internal institutional politics and other unpredictable factors. DNV GL's embrace of ISO 9001 standards are certifiable, verifiable and reliable. More than 1 million businesses - healthcare providers or otherwise - use ISO 9001 standards worldwide. "The way we do this process is not in a traditional way. As a result, we are changing the culture of hospital accreditation," said Patrick Horine, DNV GL's chief executive officer. Charleston Area Medical Center's stroke program is accredited by DNV GL. The hospital is able to deliver clot-busting medications to 95 percent of patients within three hours of their showing symptoms. Such swift delivery often significantly reverses the damage from ischemic strokes. Nationwide, hospitals get clot busting drugs to their stroke patients within three hours about 87 percent of the time. In West Virginia, the average is 83 percent. DNV GL's executives and its partnering hospitals who they have accredited are available to discuss how the process works in greater depth. For more information on DNV GL, visit www.dnvglhealthcare.com. About DNV GL Healthcare DNV GL is a world-leading certification body. We help businesses assure the performance of their organizations, products, people, facilities and supply chains through certification, verification, assessment, and training services. Within healthcare we help our customers achieve excellence by improving quality and patient safety through hospital accreditation, managing infection risk, management system certification and training. The DNV GL Group operates in more than 100 countries. Our 13,500 professionals are dedicated to helping our customers make the world safer, smarter and greener.
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