Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital (PPMH) recently distinguished itself by becoming only the second hospital in the United States to receive the sought-after Advanced Certification in Infection Prevention (AC-IP) from DNV, a globally recognized authority in risk management and one of the two major accrediting bodies for healthcare organizations in the country.
This milestone not only signifies PPMH’s unwavering commitment to maintaining excellent standards in patient safety but also underscores infection prevention as being at the forefront of their medical responsibilities. With merely one other hospital in the country having passed the stringent procedures necessary for this certification, it unequivocally signifies the high-quality patient care provided at PPMH, demonstrating their relentless commitment to patient safety.
DNV’s healthcare division president personally visited PPMH to congratulate the Infection Prevention team and present the certificate to the hospital leaders, praising the ACIP program for empowering all hospital staff to implement necessary changes via a comprehensive risk assessment framework. The AC-IP certification encourages hospital-wide efforts to detect and mitigate vulnerabilities, reengineer and improve systems, better manage resources, and ensure safer and smarter healthcare.
Implementing technological resourcefulness, PPMH utilizes Artificial Intelligence (AI) software to monitor patient medical records for signs of sepsis, a potentially fatal condition characterized by an extreme immune response to infections. The system sends immediate alerts when it detects possible sepsis, allowing quick, decisive interventions by the care team. Such concerted efforts have pushed PPMH’s Sep-1 compliance rate, a standard which measures all required interventions for sepsis, to comfortably exceed both state and national averages.
Moreover, as part of their community outreach, PPMH is expanding educational programs to increase awareness about the symptoms of sepsis and to emphasize the importance of early intervention. The hospital also follows up with discharged sepsis patients, providing them with important self-care instructions to prevent future instances of the disease.
Not only does the AC-IP certification shed light on the hospital’s conventional practices, but it also demonstrates the hospital’s ability to manage emerging pathogens, adapt to global changes, and gauge program performance in real-time. The certification process reiterated the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, reinforcing the need for new processes and enhanced education requirements to handle potential future pandemics.
In the end, DNV’s review of PPMH’s infection prevention protocols was a thorough and rigorous one, including a comprehensive in-person survey, with the certification needing to be renewed annually. Certified organizations like PPMH are better equipped to attain long-term performance goals and establish accountability systems by continuously striving for safety and sustainable performance.
To learn more about DNV, a global independent certification, assurance, and risk management provider operating in over 100 countries, visit www.dnvhealthcare.com.