The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Children's Surgery Verification (CSV) Program reviews a hospital's surgical care of infants and children against Optimal Resources for Children's Surgical Care, 2021. This page is for pediatric surgical program administrators preparing a first verification, a new service line or a renewal. Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) documents your pediatric surgical program's responsibilities and verification evidence; your surgeons own clinical capability.
Last reviewed: October 2026.
What is Children's Surgery Verification?
ACS describes it this way: "The American College of Surgeons Children's Surgery Verification Improvement Program, or the CSV Program, addresses the surgical care of infants and children" (ACS, Children's Surgery Verification). It is one of the accreditation and verification programs on the ACS quality programs index.
The governing text is Optimal Resources for Children's Surgical Care, 2021, the second version of the standards. ACS dates its publication to July 6, 2021, with an effective date of July 1, 2022, and states that "All site visits after this date will be assessed under the new standards" (ACS press release, 2021). The standards contain "104 standards developed to improve and sustain the quality of care for pediatric patients" and "evaluate 3 levels of care aligned with the standards and expected scope of practice at a verified CSV hospital" (ACS, CSV Standards).
Hospitals apply online through the ACS Quality Portal (QPort), linked from the program page. The program page also states that participating hospitals take part in ACS NSQIP Pediatric to collect clinical data and benchmark outcomes (ACS, Children's Surgery Verification). The pages we reviewed do not say whether NSQIP Pediatric participation is a prerequisite to apply.
Who needs it and what triggers it
The buyer is a hospital that operates on infants and children and wants ACS to verify its pediatric surgical program. The work usually starts with one of these events:
- A decision to seek verification. Hospitals apply through QPort, and ACS offers a consultation visit "designed to assist hospitals in evaluating their readiness to apply for verification" (ACS, CSV Consultation Visit).
- A choice of level. The standards evaluate 3 levels of care aligned with expected scope of practice, so a hospital adding or changing pediatric surgical services has to match its documentation to the level it seeks (ACS, CSV Standards).
- Renewal preparation. A verified hospital prepares again for its next review. The cycle length was not stated on the ACS pages we reviewed.
How IHS helps
IHS works from the Optimal Resources for Children's Surgical Care standards your hospital obtains from ACS. The process:
- Gap assessment. Each of the standards that applies at your target level is read against what your program does and documents today, and each gap is written down with the standard it comes from.
- Questionnaires and evidence mapping. IHS sends questionnaires on service capability, team roles and transfers, then builds a crosswalk from each standard to its evidence and the person who owns it.
- Drafting. IHS drafts capability documentation, responsibility maps, a transfer agreement register and quality-review records. Your pediatric surgical leaders review and approve each document.
- Mock review. IHS reviews the verification records against the standards as a reviewer would and lists what is missing or thin.
- Readiness support. If the review finds gaps, IHS drafts responses for your hospital to submit.
What you supply: the standards, staffing and capability data, transfer agreements, case-review records, and your pediatric surgeons' decisions.
The limit: pediatric surgical capability and case review are clinical judgments IHS does not make. IHS describes its process here and does not claim prior ACS engagements. Your hospital applies and corresponds with ACS; IHS drafts, and you submit.
What to have ready
Each item below ties to Optimal Resources for Children's Surgical Care, 2021, or to the ACS CSV pages, read October 2026.
- Your copy of Optimal Resources for Children's Surgical Care, 2021, the version used for "All site visits after" July 1, 2022 (ACS press release, 2021).
- A target level, chosen against the "3 levels of care aligned with the standards and expected scope of practice" (ACS, CSV Standards).
- A list of the 104 standards marked for the level you seek, each with an evidence owner (same page).
- Staffing and service capability data that show your current scope of practice, since the levels are tied to the "expected scope of practice at a verified CSV hospital" (ACS, CSV Standards).
- Your status in ACS NSQIP Pediatric, which the program page describes as the way hospitals collect clinical data and benchmark outcomes (ACS, Children's Surgery Verification).
- Access to QPort for the online application.
The introductory call is the place to walk through this list against your own program.
How it compares
| Route | What it covers | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| CSV verification | Surgical care of infants and children, at one of 3 levels, against 104 standards | ACS, CSV Standards |
| ACS CSV Consultation Visit | ACS's own readiness review: "A gap analysis in compliance with the Optimal Resources for Children's Surgical Care standards" and "a report to help your institution close gaps and provide strategies for achieving verification" | ACS, CSV Consultation Visit |
| ACS Quality Verification Program | A separate ACS program listed on the quality programs index | ACS, quality programs index |
| ACS Trauma Verification, Review, and Consultation (VRC) Program | A separate ACS trauma program listed on the quality programs index | ACS, quality programs index |
| No verification | No ACS review of the pediatric surgical program | None |
The table describes scope only. Which route fits depends on your hospital's pediatric services and goals.
What it costs
ACS does not publish a fee schedule for CSV verification on the pages we reviewed. IHS prices its own work after a free introductory call.
What this is not
- IHS is not ACS and does not grant, influence or predict a verification decision.
- IHS does not apply to, submit to or correspond with ACS for your hospital. Your hospital does.
- IHS does not assess pediatric surgical capability or review cases. Your surgeons do.
Frequently asked questions
What is ACS Children's Surgery Verification?
It is an American College of Surgeons program that "addresses the surgical care of infants and children" (ACS, Children's Surgery Verification). Hospitals are verified against Optimal Resources for Children's Surgical Care, 2021.
What standards does Children's Surgery Verification use?
Optimal Resources for Children's Surgical Care, 2021. It contains "104 standards developed to improve and sustain the quality of care for pediatric patients" (ACS, CSV Standards). ACS states that "All site visits after this date [July 1, 2022] will be assessed under the new standards" (ACS press release, 2021).
What are the levels of children's surgery verification?
The standards "evaluate 3 levels of care aligned with the standards and expected scope of practice at a verified CSV hospital" (ACS, CSV Standards). The level definitions are in the standards manual, which we do not summarize here.
Does a hospital need ACS NSQIP Pediatric to apply for CSV?
The CSV program page states that hospitals participate in ACS NSQIP Pediatric to collect clinical data and benchmark outcomes (ACS, Children's Surgery Verification). The pages we reviewed do not say whether participation is required before applying. Ask ACS when you open your application.
How does a hospital apply for Children's Surgery Verification?
Online, through the ACS Quality Portal (QPort), which is linked from the program page (ACS, Children's Surgery Verification). The hospital submits the application itself.
What is the CSV consultation visit?
ACS states that "The CSV Consultation Visit is designed to assist hospitals in evaluating their readiness to apply for verification." It provides "A gap analysis in compliance with the Optimal Resources for Children's Surgical Care standards" and a report with strategies for achieving verification (ACS, CSV Consultation Visit).
How much does Children's Surgery Verification cost?
ACS does not publish a fee schedule for CSV on the pages we reviewed. IHS prices its own work after a free introductory call.
How is Children's Surgery Verification different from trauma center verification?
They are separate ACS programs. CSV "addresses the surgical care of infants and children," while trauma verification runs through the ACS Trauma Verification, Review, and Consultation (VRC) Program, listed separately on the ACS quality programs index (ACS).