Quality and Patient Safety

Keep me safe

Your child’s safety is as important to us as it is to you. Safety is our top-priority, whether it be free car seat safety checks or safety related to care received at any of our facilities. Our patient safety program, YES to Safety. NO Exceptions. will be part of your experience the moment you interact with Children’s Health.

Patient Identification

We are all unique and we want to make sure we are dealing with the right person. Whether you are making an appointment or we are giving your child a medication, we have processes in place to make sure we are dealing with the correct patient. While these extra steps may seem redundant at times, please be patient and know they are in place to keep you and your child safe.

Hand Hygiene

Proper Hand hygiene is the #1 way to prevent the spread of germs.  Every staff member and physician is expected to clean their hands upon entering and exiting a patient room. You are part of our team. Join us by washing your hands or using the alcohol based foam sanitizer in the same manner. If we forget to perform this simple task, please remind us.

We Are All One Team

Parents know their children best. If something doesn’t seem right, speak up. We value your input and will work with you to ensure we are providing the best care possible.

Our Performance

Children’s Health participates in The Leapfrog Group Survey, and in 2014 and 2015 Children’s Medical Center Plano was named a “top hospital.”

Heal me

Our mission is “to make life better for children.”  Our goal is to optimizing outcomes and maximizing wellness. As one of the nation’s leading health care systems, we monitor our performance carefully and constantly strive to improve.

Children’s Health was the first pediatric hospital in the United States to have eight disease-specific management programs certified by The Joint Commission.

Awards and Accomplishments

• Because our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) meets the highest quality for NICU programs, it’s been designated a Level IV NICU.
• Children's is designated as a level I trauma center by the American College of Surgeons.
• Children’s Health Transport Services was the first neonatal/pediatric transport team in the nation to be fully accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Medical Transport Services (CAMTS) in ground ambulance, fixed wing and rotor wing services.
• The American Nurses Credentialing Center has given Children’s an elite Magnet hospital designation, the highest national recognition for quality nursing care.
• U.S. News & World Report regularly lists Children’s among the top pediatric hospitals in the nation and has ranked it among the best in all 10 specialties.
• Children’s Health was honored by the Healthy Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) with a Stage 7 Award, an honor acknowledging organizations that share and use patient data in a manner that improves process performance, quality of care, and patient safety.
• In addition to accrediting the hospital, the Joint Commission has awarded Children’s Health seven Disease-Specific Care Program Certifications: for The Pediatric Asthma Program, Dean Foods LEAN Families Program, the Diabetes Education Program, Fetal Heart, Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Comprehensive Eating Disorders Program. Each certification indicates a commitment to compliance with national standards, implementation of evidence-based guidelines, and performance improvement. No other pediatric hospital in the United States has more than two such certifications

Be Nice to Me

The patient and their family are at the center of everything we do. We are focused on not only ensuring your child’s safety, optimizing outcomes, and maximizing wellness, but also on your overall experience at Children’s Health. Your feedback is important to us. You may also receive surveys from us asking about your experience at Children’s Health. We want to thank you in advance for taking the time to complete these surveys.

Compliments and Concerns

We know that safety and quality are of the utmost importance to you. If you have any compliments or concerns about patient care and safety at Children's Health, you are encouraged to contact Children's Health management using the following contact information: ChildrensCareLine@childrens.com

If your concerns cannot be resolved at this level, you my choose to contact The Joint Commission directly using the following contact information:

Office of Quality and Patient Safety
The Joint Commission
One Renaissance Blvd.
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181

Fax: 630-792-5636

The Joint Commission will acknowledge such requests in writing or by telephone and will inform the organization of the request for any interview. The organization will, in turn, notify the interviewee of the date, time, and place of the meeting.

This notice is posted in accordance with The Joint Commission's requirements.

Why is ERAS important?

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols coordinate care between anesthesiologists, surgeons, perioperative nursing staff, and other members of the patient’s care team and incorporate all aspects of perioperative care. Implementation of an ERAS protocol typically includes pre-admission counseling, optimization of medical conditions, absence of prolonged fasting, early mobilization, early oral nutrition and multimodal analgesia.

The outcomes of implementing ERAS protocols have shown a decrease in stress response, trauma and inflammation, length of hospital stay and complications, as well as improved patient satisfaction and lower health care costs.

How has Children’s Health℠ implemented ERAS protocols?

In alignment with our American College of Surgeons Level I (Dallas) and Level II (Plano) verifications, Children’s Health has made a commitment to implementing ERAS protocols. In 2023, an executive leadership committee was developed to provide leadership and guidance in creating cohesive ERAS protocols for our surgical specialties to improve patient outcomes. This multidisciplinary committee includes surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, child life and quality improvement personnel.

Currently, we have established multiple ERAS protocols, including colorectal, Chiari malformation, pectus and urological surgeries. We are committed to ongoing patient, family and staff education pertaining to ERAS implementation and compliance. Regular audits and team meetings are conducted using quality improvement tools to evaluate and adjust our protocols.

How have ERAS protocols decreased surgical site infections (SSI) at Children’s Health?

Our colorectal ERAS protocol has had remarkable success in decreasing our rate of surgical site infections. This ERAS protocol includes our colon bundle which starts pre-operatively including instructions for the family on how to bathe the night before and morning of surgery, a bowel prep and preoperative antibiotics. The bundle includes intraoperative management related to wound closure including a dedicated closing tray, gown and glove change for all team members, and new drapes over the old drapes. We have seen a decline in surgical site infections since initiating this bundle in our ERAS protocol from 2022 with an SSI rate of 5.5 to 1.9 in 2023.

What’s next for improving care for surgical patients at Children’s Health?

As pediatric ERAS continues to evolve so will Children’s Health commitment to providing the highest level of care. Currently we are developing EPIC implemented ERAS pathways. The EPIC build will integrate all ERAS protocols into EPIC for a seamless transition to increase utilization of pathways. This will improve ordering of the required elements in the protocol, improve recognition of patients on the protocol, and enhance our tracking and compliance. Our multidisciplinary team continues to create new ERAS pathways and streamline surgical practices, demonstrating our dedication to improving the quality of care for surgical patients.