St. John’s Health is pleased to announce it has received ISO-9001 certification, recognized as the most widely accepted system for quality management worldwide. The accomplishment of ISO-9001 certification marks the culmination of a multi-year goal of CEO Paul Beaupre, MD. “When Paul came on board four years ago, he challenged us to commit to a long-term roadmap for maintaining a high level of performance,” said communications officer Karen Connelly. “As Paul moves on to his next adventures upon his retirement, his leadership around this achievement will be a legacy that benefits St. John’s and our community well into the future.”
ISO 9001 certification is the gold standard for quality and safety in multiple industries and is a foundation for quality and patient safety programs among US healthcare providers.
“By earning this certification, we have developed a culture of quality and safety that sets us apart from other healthcare systems,” said St. John’s Health CEO Paul Beaupré, MD. “We now have a roadmap that will allow us to remain a high performing healthcare system into the future.”
To become certified, an institution must first become accredited, a process required by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) and conducted by a third party, which for St. John’s was DNV GL Healthcare. Accreditation ensures that the institution follows rules that relate to patient safety, quality improvement, patient rights, emergency preparedness, and other guidelines.
As part of accreditation, surveyors visit facilities and conduct an in-depth review of facilities and processes. These annual unannounced assessments include interviewing staff members and patients, reviewing medical records and organizational documents, and inspecting facilities.
“The surveyors were very complimentary of the care that we deliver to our patients and for the teamwork that they witnessed at all levels of our healthcare system,” said Beaupré. “They challenged us to improve in several areas of documentation so that we would be able to demonstrate to others the outstanding care that we are delivering.”
ISO certification empowers frontline workers while ensuring that everyone is working toward the same vision. The ultimate impact of ISO within hospitals is the reduced risk of medical errors and increased success in improving patient care.
“St. John’s Health has worked hard to achieve this certification, and it’s clear that top leadership has an unwavering commitment to make their hospital the best it can be,” said Patrick Horine, President of DNV GL Healthcare. “ISO certification is public evidence that St. John’s Health is at the top of its game with an obvious plan in place to make excellence an everyday objective.”
