Special to IFN
Iredell Health System has earned full certification for its implementation of the ISO 9001 Quality Management System by DNV Healthcare USA Inc.
“Iredell Health System is dedicated to providing the safest and most effective healthcare services possible,” said John Green, Iredell Health System president & CEO. “ISO 9001 certification not only reflects that mission but helps to empower it. The certificate is just a piece of paper, but the effort required to achieve it fundamentally transforms the way we do business. ISO 9001 is ideally suited to the complex, people-intensive challenges of running a hospital.”
ISO 9001 is the most widely accepted quality management system in use around the world and is quickly gaining acceptance among U.S. healthcare providers as a foundation for their quality and patient safety programs.
“Iredell Health System has worked hard to achieve this certification, and they have done so with unwavering commitment from their top leadership to make their hospital the best it can be,” said Kelly Proctor, president of DNV Healthcare USA. “ISO 9001 certification isn’t just an award or trophy for something you’ve done, it’s public evidence that you are at the top of your game with an obvious plan in place to make excellence an everyday objective.”
ISO 9001 brings science to the art of caregiving; it helps to standardize processes around things that are proven to work, by the people doing the work, thus empowering frontline workers while creating an environment of predictability for the entire organization. The ultimate impact of ISO 9001 within hospitals is the reduction or elimination of variation, so that critical work processes are done consistently, and the “best ideas” aren’t held by one person or one department but are ingrained in the organization itself.
Businesses that implement ISO 9001 do so for both the internal and external benefits. Internally, it helps staff create clear and consistent processes of patient care and ensure that progress is constantly being made toward specific quality objectives. Externally, it tells the public, as well as insurers and regulatory agencies, that the hospital is not only talking about quality, but is pursuing it with discipline and transparency.
“ISO 9001 is like sheet music for an orchestra; it gets everyone on the same page and helps us achieve our objectives,” said Green.
Locations included in the certification are:
• Iredell Memorial Hospital;
• Iredell Women’s Health Center;
• Iredell Outpatient Services;
• Iredell Wellness & Diabetes Center;
• Iredell Rehab at Mooresville;
• Iredell Outpatient Rehabilitation Services;
• Iredell Rehab at Taylorsville; and
• Iredell Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center
About Iredell Health System
Iredell Health System includes Iredell Memorial Hospital; Iredell Mooresville; two urgent care centers; Iredell Home Health; Iredell Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center; Community and Corporate Wellness; Occupational Medicine; the Iredell Physician Network and more. Iredell Memorial Hospital is the largest and only nonprofit hospital in Iredell County. The comprehensive healthcare facility has 247 beds; more than 1,800 employees; and has 260 physicians representing various specialties. Centers of excellence include Women’s and Children’s; Cardiovascular; Cancer; Surgical Services and Wellness & Prevention. The Health System’s second campus, Iredell Mooresville, is home to the area’s only 24-hour urgent care facility, as well as an ambulatory surgery center, imaging center, rehabilitation services, and physician practices. The mission of Iredell Health System is to inspire wellbeing together. For a comprehensive list of services and programs, visit www.iredellhealth.org.
LEARN MORE
For more information about DNV, visit www.dnvcert.com/healthcare.