ISO fans say QI is an everyday concern
The days of the triennial scramble may be over
ISO 9000 specifies what must be achieved within a quality system to maintain effective management control. The system doesn’t specify how to achieve requirements, but rather designates a platform for consistency and continuing improvement based on the "plan-do-check-act" continuum.
"Only a handful of ISO registrars in the U.S. deal with health care quality at this time," says Laura DeVincentis, health care services manager of SGS International Certification Services in Rutherford, NJ. "SGS is one of the first." The company has certified more than 200 health care organizations in other countries, however. "It’s going to take time for health care providers to become familiar with ISO standards. Our goal now is to promote educational awareness what ISO is, how it differs from other accreditation bodies, and how it can complement what already exists. We don’t expect any facility to seek certification until the staff fully understands those things."
Companies offering ISO certification hope to educate health care personnel so they’ll be aware of this new option by the time deemed status is granted. "It’s going to take time," says DeVincentis. "We need to show people at the government level examples of health care organizations in the United States that have opted for ISO." Right now there are only a handful, and those few hospitals had to subject themselves to HCFA audits as well in order to maintain their Medicare participation.
Physicians find ISO useful
Among organizations in the United States that have opted for ISO are health care groups that simply can’t afford the Joint Commission, yet that want some recognition of their quality initiatives to help promote their organization’s standards. "For the most part, we’re talking about private physician groups who want to prove themselves in the market and get an edge over their competitors," says DeVincentis.
How does ISO 9000 certification differ from the Joint Commission’s? "Whereas the traditional survey focuses on procedures, equipment, and personnel required to deliver patient care, ISO focuses on the management system in place to ensure consistency, promote continuous improvement, and maintain compliance," says DeVincentis. "Traditional accreditation ensures that a facility do the right thing. ISO certification assures that a facility do things right the first time and every time."
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