The Joint Commission, Oak Brook, Ill., has had a near monopoly in hospital accreditation in the United States for about 40 years, but recently a new accreditation firm, DNV Healthcare, Milford, Ohio, has been making a name for itself, according to an article on the the Health Facilities Management website. DNV is being sited as a facility-friendly yet stringent accreditation philosophy that emphasizes ongoing improvement.
According the the article, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) granted deeming authority to DNV in September of 2008 and a six-year reapproval in 2012.
DNV combines its regular accreditation with ISO 9001 quality management system surveys, a process long used by U.S. manufacturers. Also, DNV surveys its member hospitals annually and not every 18 months to three years as with the Joint Commission.
Read the article.