Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) offers surgical services meeting the most rigorous standards for safety and quality, according to a repeat designation awarded by the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
The ACS Children’s Surgery Verification Program verified ACH as a Level 1 Surgery Center – the highest designation a hospital can receive – for providing excellent quality children’s surgical care. The ACS Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program has recognized just 70 programs in the nation with this distinction, distinguishing children’s surgical programs where quality improvement efforts have measurably improved surgical standards and prevented complications, reduced costs, and most importantly, saved lives.
By providing this specialized standard of care, ACH creates better outcomes for children, improved safety protocols and a standardized quality of care across the many crucial facets of children’s surgery. The renewed Level 1 verification, awarded for the first time to ACH in 2019, will be valid for three years.
“This distinction is a campus-wide effort, with teams across many services collaborating to ensure Arkansas Children’s Hospital provides the highest quality surgical care for children,” said Rick Barr, MD, executive vice president and chief clinical and academic officer for Arkansas Children’s. “Right-sized care delivered in an environment committed to safety and quality ensures each child can leave our care ready to reach their highest potential.”
To become a verified center, ACH met essential criteria for staffing, training, and facility infrastructure and protocols for care, ensuring its ability to appropriately care for children who have surgery. 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.