"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - CN Receives DNV Healthcare Accreditation

TAHLEQUAH, OK — The Cherokee Nation has become the first Native American tribe in the United States and the first healthcare system in Oklahoma to receive the Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Healthcare accreditation, which focuses on the quality of patient care throughout an entire healthcare system.

“We are honored to be the first healthcare system in Oklahoma and the first tribal system in the U.S. to receive this accreditation,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. “This accreditation fits in line with our philosophy of ‘gadugi,’ or ‘working together,’ which is what our healthcare system does in assisting our patients.”

The DNV system is unique in that instead of primarily focusing on policies and procedures as do many other accreditation agencies, the system focuses more on the overall quality of care of patients who utilize an entire healthcare system.

As part of the accreditation process, the group tracked the care of patients using many parts of the Cherokee Nation Health Services system, including the EMS service, various health centers, the hospital, programs, and more. An important aspect in achieving the group’s standards is consistency throughout the entire healthcare system.

“This (the Cherokee Nation) system was remarkable to see,” said Troy McCann, surveyor for the DNV accreditation team. “This is truly an integrated system.”

The Cherokee Nation operates a network of eight health centers and one hospital, as well as several health programs including diabetes prevention, cancer prevention, EMS, behavioral health, and more, within the tribe’s jurisdictional boundaries. The system serves more than 130,000 eligible patients in the tribe’s jurisdictional boundaries and has performed more than 2 million outpatient visits since 2002.

“Because DNV is a worldwide accreditation program, it brings us up to a new level,” said Melissa Gower, Group Leader for Cherokee Nation Health Services. “We are now accredited along with healthcare organizations in not only Indian country and in the U.S., but with healthcare systems around the globe. To be the first Native American tribe to reach that level verifies the commitment and dedication to every employee in our healthcare system.”