SHELTON, WA – Mason Health has been awarded full certification to the ISO 9001 Quality Management System by Det Norse Veritas (DNV), a national accreditation organization dedicated to helping health care organizations improve quality, patient safety and health care delivery. Meeting these international standards has been a journey shepherded by Mason Health’s Quality/Patient Safety/Regulatory Compliance Department since 2017, when Mason Health began to align itself to DNV standards. ISO 9001 informs businesses in any industry how to standardize their operations to achieve best results.

“ISO standards provide a framework for what a well-run organization does to ensure quality and safety,” said Pamela Schlauderaff, Mason Health’s Director of Quality/Patient Safety/Regulatory Compliance. “In adopting the ISO standards, Mason Health is committed to our Vision of providing the best patient-centered care in the Pacific Northwest.”

ISO 9001 is the most widely accepted quality management system in use around the world and is quickly gaining acceptance among U.S. health care providers as a foundation for quality and patient safety programs.

“Mason Health is dedicated to providing the safest and most effective health care services possible,” said Jennifer Capps, Mason Health’s Chief Development & Communications Officer. “ISO 9001 certification not only reflects that mission but helps to empower it. The certificate is just a piece of paper, but the effort required to achieve it fundamentally transforms the way we do business. ISO 9001 is ideally suited to the complex, people-intensive challenges of running a hospital.”

Businesses that implement ISO 9001 do so for both the internal and external benefits. Internally it helps staff create clear and consistent processes of patient care and ensure that progress is constantly being made toward specific quality objectives. Externally, it tells the public, as well as insurers and regulatory agencies, that the hospital is not only talking about quality, but is pursuing it with discipline and transparency.

“Mason Health has worked hard to achieve this certification, and they have done so with unwavering commitment from their top leadership to make their hospital the best it can be,” said Patrick Horine, President of DNV Healthcare USA Inc. “ISO 9001 certification isn’t just an award or trophy for something you’ve done, it’s public evidence that you are at the top of your game with an obvious plan in place to make excellence an everyday objective.”

ISO 9001 helps to standardize processes proven to work, thus empowering frontline workers while creating an environment of predictability for the entire organization. The ultimate impact of ISO 9001 within hospitals is the reduction or elimination of variation, so that critical work processes are done consistently and are ingrained in the organization itself.

“ISO 9001 is like sheet music for an orchestra; it gets everyone on the same page and helps us achieve our objectives,” Capps said.

DNV is a global independent certification, assurance and risk management provider, operating in more than 100 countries. Through its broad experience and deep expertise, DNV advances safety and sustainable performance, sets industry benchmarks, drives innovative solutions.

For more information about DNV, visit www.dnvcert.com/healthcare

Mason Health, Public Hospital District No. 1 of Mason County, is certified by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and is a licensed and accredited acute care hospital with a level four emergency trauma designation. Mason General Hospital and Mason Clinic are ENERGY STAR® certified and Mason Health is the recipient of the Practice Greenhealth Partner for Change Environmental Excellence Award. There are more than 100 physicians on staff in 19 specialties. For more information or to find a health care provider, visit www.masongeneral.com.