Verification demonstrates Palm Beach Children’s Hospital commitment to providing optimal surgical care for children who require surgical services

Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s receives Level II verification by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program (CSV).

The 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. The program is based upon recognized standards meant to achieve high-quality patient outcomes for children’s surgical care. 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.

“This distinction ensures that we are delivering the highest quality of care to our patients so they can have the best chance for a good outcome,” said Dr. Anne Fischer, Medical Director of Surgical Services at Palm Beach Children’s Hospital. “We were the first hospital to ever earn the Level II distinction, which requires the right level of training for our staff, infrastructure, and protocols. We want our young patients and their families to know that they are in good hands.”

Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s commitment to quality care begins with appropriately trained staff and 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, Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s 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.

CSV hospitals have a nationwide reputation for improving the quality and outcomes in children undergoing surgery. Each year, an estimated 4 million children undergo surgical procedures in hospitals across the United States.

“This national verification reflects our commitment to providing the highest quality surgical care for children,” said Cynthia McCauley, the hospital’s CEO. “Earning this verification is a team effort, and I am proud of our dedication for ensuring the safest and most effective treatments for our young patients.” 

CSV is based on other nationally recognized ACS quality improvement programs. ACS Quality Programs have measurably improved surgical quality and have prevented complications, reduced costs, and saved lives.

As a CSV-verified hospital, Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s also becomes an ACS Surgical Quality Partner. Being a Surgical Quality Partner signifies a hospital’s dedication to consistently improving procedures and approaches, while maintaining a critical eye on process at every step. The Surgical Quality Partner designation lets patients know Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s is dedicated to quality and relentless self-improvement and has been verified or accredited by the ACS. Patients can trust that the care they receive at Surgical Quality Partner hospitals adheres to the most rigorous standards in surgical quality. Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s is an ACS Surgical Quality Partner by participating in the CSV.

"ACS Quality programs are grounded in more than a century of experience and participation is an important measure of a hospital’s surgical quality. As an ACS Surgical Quality Partner, Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s has shown a commitment providing the best possible patient care, evaluating that care in a rigorous fashion, and dedicating themselves to continuous self-improvement," said ACS Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS.

Learn more about the ACS CSV program.