Prairie Mountain Health Accreditation Survey | May 25-30, 2025
Accreditation is an ongoing process that includes an on-site survey, which assists us in objectively evaluating patient safety and quality improvement within health care. Accreditation Canada sends a team of health care providers from across Canada to complete a review of each Regional Health Authorities programs and services. Accreditation Canada works with healthcare providers, stakeholders, clients & families and the public to improve the quality and safety of health for all. Accreditation Canada’s philosophy of quality improvement is based on the involvement of the entire organization. For this reason, the team from Accreditation Canada will assess all aspects of an organization and provide an accreditation decision that recognizes the whole organization, not just a specific program and/or service.
As of 2025, Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) will move to a provincial accreditation survey model that will align all health authorities and service delivery organizations to be surveyed together. This sequential model divides programs and services provided in PMH into four sequences, creating a 4-year schedule until all services have been evaluated. In the past, all of PMH’s services and programs were assessed by Accreditation Canada once every 4 years. This new model creates a continuous process in that Accreditation Canada will evaluate predetermined programs and services in PMH and the other MB Health Authorities/Service Delivery Organizations each year together. This year’s provincial survey is scheduled for May 25-30, 2025. The results of this survey will give us confidence that we are providing good care and help us identify areas that could be further improved. The survey is only part of PMH’s commitment to patient safety through continuous quality improvement.
The survey process includes evaluating standards and Required Organizational Practices (ROPs) based on national health standards (see Chart 1 Below) that reflect the programs and services offered within PMH. (i.e. Emergency Department, Public Health). ROPs are required patient safety processes that must be in practice (e.g. Falls Prevention, Client Identification).
PMH has teams of direct care providers, support staff, administration, management and patients. Each member is selected because of their experience, area of expertise, type of program/service they work in or area of PMH they represent (e.g. Swan River, Boissevain). These teams work year-round to influence quality improvement, which is reflected in established processes, ongoing education and policy development. Partnerships with many groups (i.e. educational institutions, First Nation communities), including physicians, occur continuously to ensure that the best decisions are being made for staff, patients/clients and their families.
As a patient or member of the public, if you wish to know more about national health standards, check out the Accreditation Canada website or Health Standards Organization (HSO) website. If you want to learn more about becoming a patient partner involved in Accreditation, please contact us at [email protected].
When you see the Accreditation Canada seal, you can be certain that the health care organization is working hard to meet Accreditation Canada standards to deliver safe, high-quality care. They do so because better quality means better health.