Sentara Healthcare is the first health care system in the U.S. to receive multi-site certification in the ISO 9001 Quality Management system from its accrediting body, DNV-GL.  The certification, presented Monday, June 27, 2016, includes 12 Sentara hospitals in Virginia and North Carolina, more than 300 integrated sites of care, the company’s in-house supply chain system and its redesigned Human Resources division, now called ‘HR solutions.’  ISO 9001 is the International Standards Organization, which supports consistent application of best practices in quality and safety in a variety of industrial and business disciplines, including health care.

 “This certification validates our processes and promotes accountability,” said Deloris Cooper, Director of Accreditation and Regulatory Standards for Sentara Healthcare. “It reflects our focus on patients and our commitment to reduce variability and increase consistency through rapid deployment of best practices across our system.”

The first of three strategic imperatives in the Sentara Healthcare strategic plan is ‘Always Improving.’  High performance design teams push Sentara toward clinical performance improvements that enhance outcomes and the patient experience. The system’s goal for a decade has been Top 10% performance in key national clinical measures. The system is also focused on population management and best practices around management of chronic diseases.

“Sentara is paving a path for other health systems to follow,” said John Cooke, Senior Lead Auditor for    DNV-GL. “A multi-site certification in ISO 9001 has been unheard of and Sentara Healthcare has brought a focus on continual improvement to all of its corporate functions.”

DNV-GL is a global organization focused on management of risk and rapid change and approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as an accrediting agency for hospitals and health systems.

“We started this journey with a pilot at one of our hospitals in 2010,” added Deloris Cooper. “This system certification, and our maintenance of it, helps ensure we are delivering safe, efficient, effective care with a focus on service and our patients.”