Why ISO 9001:2000 certification for healthcare?

ISO 9001:2000 certification is utilized in a variety of ways as a vehicle for healthcare organizations to:

• Identify systemic break-downs and close gaps or loopholes

• Define key interfaces between processes, departments and staff

• Streamline work flow and maximize resource utilization

• Proactively prevent problems from occurring

• Provide ways to detect and correct errors and problems

• Ensure conformance to and effectiveness of documented processes

• Focus on patient and provider needs and expectations

• Maximize customer satisfaction

• Facilitate compliance to healthcare quality certifications, accreditation standards and regulatory requirements

Why ISO 9001:2000 certification for healthcare? What are the benefits of ISO 9001:2000 for healthcare organizations? Why did one hospital pursue certification to ISO 9001:2000? Are there many hospitals certified for the ISO 9001:2000 standard? Are employees and physicians involved with the hospital certification process? How do you know if your documented healthcare processes are effective? Give an example of the significant accomplishments that a hospital achieved by pursuing the ISO 9001:2000 standard as a Healthcare Quality Management System.

Status of Quality Improvement Movement in Healthcare ISO 9001:2000 Applied as a Healthcare Quality Management Tool Process for Using ISO 9001:2000 to Develop a Healthcare Quality Improvement Plan Key ISO 9001 Improvement Objectives for Healthcare ISO 9001:2000 as a Healthcare Quality Management System Benefits of ISO 9001:2000 as the Framework for Managing All Healthcare Quality Certifications Linking ISO 9001:2000 requirements to Product/Service Quality