Covington County Hospital announces the successful completion of a three-year certification to the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System standard by DNV.
Only 8.5 percent (11 out of 128) hospitals in Mississippi, including Covington County Hospital, hold active formal ISO certification, according to John Cooke, DNV Technical Manager.
This mark of achievement demonstrates that the hospital meets or exceeds patient safety standards. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires accreditation for hospitals seeking reimbursement for care provided to patients covered by Medicare and Medicaid.
ISO, International Standardization Organization, is a rigorous process by which the hospital improves and monitors the delivery of patient care, continually measures quality, and places the highest priority on eliminating medical errors. DNV-Det Norske Veritas is a third party that audits quality measurements set forth by ISO and found that all requirements were met.
“The DNV program is consistent with our long-term commitment to quality and patient safety,” says Kathe Bryant, CCH Director of Quality. “The ability to integrate ISO 9001 quality standards with our clinical and financial processes is a major step forward.”
The accreditation program involves annual hospital surveys and encourages hospitals to openly share information across departments and to discover improvements in clinical workflows and safety protocols.
“The hard work it took to obtain this certification could not have been achieved without the perseverance and commitment of our staff, providers, and Board of Trustees,” said Gregg Gibbes, CEO. “Not only did we prove that commitment to excellence by completing this journey, but we did it during a pandemic.”
