GREENSBURG – Staff and administrators of Decatur County Memorial Hospital (DCMH) say two recent achievements by the facility will lead to improved patient care and better communication among all staff members.
DCMH previously received accreditation from DNV-GL Healthcare, a nationwide accreditation company established under its international parent, but recently achieved another distinction that aims to maintain a system of quality that is consistent throughout all hospital departments.
The hospital’s latest certification, ISO 9001:2008, comes via DNV-GL Healthcare and establishes protocols that unite all facets of the hospital – from the finance department to front line staff tending to patients. The ISO 9001 standard is internationally recognized, according to dnvglhealthcare.com, and falls under that organization’s hospital accreditation program, National Integrated Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations (NIAHO). The certification “enables an organization to reach maximum effectiveness and efficiency in its processes that leads to improved outcomes, both clinically and financially,” according to the website.
Brad Green, Director of Quality for DCMH, said the certifications essentially simplify each step of the patient care process for staff members, providing a set of standards that is consistent for both clinical and non-clinical aspects of the hospital.
“It streamlines the [overall] process and provides standardization,” Green said. “And not only standardization, but just our general quality management system.”
DCMH, a Critical Access Hospital (CAH), is the only healthcare facility in the state to receive either DNV-GL Healthcare accreditation or the ISO 9001:2008 certification.
Green said six requirements must be met in order to comply with the certification, which includes everything from maintaining control of documentation and records to completing internal audits to making certain corrective actions are in place in instances of nonconformance. The end result is a quality management system that keeps all staff members on the same proverbial page.
DCMH President and CEO Linda Simmons said the facility’s new certifications demonstrate the staff’s resolve to provide the best possible healthcare experience.
“I think it showcases our focus on quality and safety and our commitment to make sure we are producing top quality care and positive outcomes for our patients while making the safest environment that we can,” Simmons said.
Written by Brent Brown, Greensburg Daily News