University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital has received verification as a Level 1 Children’s Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons.

The ACS Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program was developed to improve the quality of children’s surgical care by creating a system that helps match each child’s individual surgical needs with the best care environment. The program is based on other nationally recognized ACS quality improvement programs that have measurably improved surgical quality and have prevented complications, reduced costs, and saved lives.

“We are extremely pleased and proud to be recognized as one of the first level 1 children’s surgical center in the nation,” says John Park, M.D., Mott surgeon-in-chief. 

“This status reaffirms our team’s dedication to providing optimal care for young patients facing surgery. We are committed to continuously seeking ways to enhance the structure, process, and outcomes for children and their families.”

To become a verified center, Mott was required to meet criteria for staffing, training, and facility infrastructure and protocols for care. The center also participates in a national data registry that yields semiannual reports on the quality of its processes and outcomes to help identify opportunities for continuous quality improvement.

Centers seeking verification undergo an extensive site visit by an ACS team of surveyors that includes experienced children’s surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses. Surveyors review the center's structure, process, and clinical outcomes data to ensure that children receive surgical care under a multidisciplinary program with quality improvement and safety processes, data collection, and appropriate resources.

“This verification affirms our multidisciplinary dedication and commitment to ensuring the highest level of safe, quality care,” says Ashley Parent, program manager for the Mott Surgery Quality Program. “We are honored to be recognized for our ongoing efforts."

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational association of surgeons founded to raise the standards of surgical education and practice and to improve the quality of care for surgical patients. The College has more than 80,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.