RMHC attains national verification from the American College of Surgeons

Denver, Colo. — Steven Rothenberg, MD, chief of pediatric surgery at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, today announced that its has been verified as a Level 1 Children's Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons Children's Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program (ACS CSV). RMHC is the first children's hospital in the global HCA Healthcare organization to achieve this status.

“My RMHC colleagues and I have been caring for some of the most difficult and complex cases in the region, and in some instances, the world,” Dr. Rothenberg explains. “I am incredibly proud of the efforts that went into receiving this formal verification, and more so for the work that has been ongoing at our hospital for decades that has changed the lives of thousands of children in our care. Obtaining level one status is recognition that RMHC meets the highest standard of any children's hospital in the US, as designated by the American College of Surgeons. ”

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.

“This verification provides our community with another level of assurance that our hospital meets the highest quality and safety standards for children's surgery,” explains Anna Davis, chief operating officer of Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children. “We are dedicated to maintaining and exceeding the verification standards and providing superb care for our most vulnerable patients.”

RMHC's commitment to quality care includes exceptionally trained staff and strong 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, RMHC 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.

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.