ISO 9000, Baldrige Criteria perfect for healthcare

摘要

I enjoyed R. Dan Reid's excellent 'o' November "Standards Outlook" column ("Developing the Voluntary Healthcare Standard," p. 68) outlining the background and concept of a voluntary healthcare standard. Reid clearly explains the work ASQ's Healthcare Division and the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) have done in developing the IWA-1 ISO 9000 document tailored to healthcare. Unfortunately, few healthcare institutions have adopted ISO 9000 concepts. When I last checked, fewer than 25 U.S. hospitals were registered to ISO 9001. Most hospitals and physician groups are unfamiliar with ISO 9000 and quality management systems (QMSs) concepts and do not consider pursuit of registration value added at this time because it is not tied to accreditation.