Medical Staffs Benefit from DNV's Educational Approach to Accreditation Surveys

Heavilin was also surprised that the DNV surveyors invited her and everyone else who participated in the survey to the final survey meeting. "I heard right from the person who surveyed us what he thought we had problems with. I thought it was interesting that they opened up the meeting to everyone, not just administration."

Heavilin found the process to be educational rather than nerve wracking, and Horine attributes that to the fact that DNV surveyors are qualified based on their education, background, and experience, but they are hired for their communication skills.

"The DNV really wants to help hospitals, which I think put the staff at ease," Purdy says of Hays Medical Center's survey in October 2008. "Staff seems more willing to talk about areas where they think some improvements could be made."

Horine says that although DNV prides itself on its education approach to accreditation surveys, surveyors do not act as consultants by any means. "We can provide best practices, share information learned from other hospitals, and give some general guidance as to how to go about addressing corrective actions, but it is important to relay that we don't consult or certify our own work," he says.