Neonatal Excellence Program

The AAP Neonatal Excellence Program supports hospitals’ initiatives to provide newborns with access to the right expertise and resources, helping to improve outcomes, reduce disparities, increase transparency and advance health for all children.

What does the Neonatal Excellence Program do?

• The newly launched AAP Neonatal Excellence Program offers facilities an opportunity to obtain an objective review of neonatal services based on the AAP Standards for Levels of Neonatal Care: II, III, & IV.
• Elevates neonatal care through a strong commitment to patient safety and quality improvement, driving better outcomes, optimizing clinical practices, and ensuring adherence to evidence-based standards.
• Creates a collaborative and consultative learning environment through:
  1. 1. interviews with facility-specific neonatal care providers;
     2. review of patient safety and quality improvement initiatives; and
     3. in-depth review of care provided.

Why choose the AAP Neonatal Excellence Program?

• The AAP is the leading authority in neonatal verification, having developed the standards for each level of neonatal care as outlined in the AAP Policy Statement, Levels of Neonatal Care, the AAP book, Guidelines for Perinatal Care, and the Standards for Levels of Neonatal Care: II, III, & IV.
• Participating in the AAP NICU verification and designation process helps your facility elevate the quality of care by obtaining an objective, collaborative, and consultative review of your facility’s personnel and resources by leading experts in neonatal care.
• Opportunities to align and collaborate with key AAP neonatal initiatives, including the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) and the DRIVE Network, to enhance patient care, quality improvement, and clinical outcomes.

What will my NICU gain from participating in the AAP Neonatal Excellence Program?

• Personalized consultative support from neonatal experts to ensure teams are fully prepared for a successful neonatal verification survey.
• Comprehensive 2-day on-site neonatal verification survey by leading experts in neonatal care to assess compliance with the AAP Standards for Levels of Neonatal Care: II, III, & IV.
• AAP neonatal verification survey report with supplemental documentation highlighting your facility’s best practices and opportunities for improvement, an essential tool for advocating for support and resources from hospital administration and C-suite executives.  
• Certificate of National Neonatal Designation from the American Academy of Pediatrics recognizing your commitment to the highest standards in newborn care.
• Ongoing participation in AAP neonatal initiatives.