Two Atrium Hospitals honored by ACS

Atrium Health

Carolinas Medical Center and Atrium

Health Wake Forest

Baptist Medical Center are the first and only hospitals in North Carolina – and among only 28 in the world – to receive international recognition by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Quality Verification Program. The inaugural group includes 25 U.S. hospitals and three international hospitals – two in Japan and one in Australia.

According to the ACS, the Quality Verification Program standards provide a proven and standardized method for establishing, measuring and improving a hospital’s quality infrastructure across all surgical departments.

In 2018, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center served as the first pilot site for the program and helped the ACS develop the standards. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist surgeons then worked closely with Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center when they became a pilot site in 2019.

“Our teams at Carolinas Medical Center and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center partnered to embark on this quality journey and achieve this outstanding milestone,” said Dr. Brent Matthews, vice president and chief surgeon for Atrium Health’s greater Charlotte region and chair of surgery at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center.

“Their work has strengthened our quality program even further and will enhance patient care in our facilities.”

“This prestigious verification lets our patients, community and teammates know that we have the safest and highest standards and the best resources to ensure superior surgical care, from before surgery all the way through discharge,” said Dr. J. Wayne Meredith, chief of surgery at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and professor and chair of surgery at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

“As an academic learning health system, we are committed to developing and delivering innovative, high-quality care,” Meredith said. “We are honored to have had such an important role in helping the ACS develop this program, and we are proud we could help elevate surgical care at other hospitals across the country and around the world.”

Both hospitals received site visits and comprehensive assessments by the ACS team, which included recommendations on engaging the entire team – from leadership to front line providers – to create and maintain an ongoing culture of safety and quality. The current verification period runs through 2025.