Our Expertise

Board certification

At The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, we view board certification as an important foundation for clinical judgment and decision-making in difficult situations. Most of our pediatricians, pediatric subspecialists and pediatric surgeons are board certified. Those who are not board certified are new hires required by CHOP policy to be board certified within five years.

In addition, many of our specialists are double board certified, which means that they meet national standards and are rigorously tested on a routine basis for their knowledge and practice-based outcomes.

The expertise of the Hospital's nursing staff, measured through degrees, should be given equal weight. Almost all of CHOP's registered nurses are BSN prepared. Hospitals that employ nurses with BSN and higher degrees typically have improved patient outcomes. This combined with our high nurse/patient ratios puts CHOP at a critical advantage.

Medical Home certification

Currently all of the Pennsylvania locations within the CHOP Care Network are certified in the Physician Practice Connections - Patient-Centered Medical Home Program by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). They are the first pediatric practices in Pennsylvania to be certified and have achieved level 3 certification, the highest level.

The NCQA certification procedure is designed to assess physician practices relative to standards that research has shown provide the highest-quality care. Components evaluated included information technology tools, use of clinical guidelines, presence of office based care coordination, collaborative practice among physicians and nurses, and patient education resources emphasizing adherence and patient self management.