Houston Healthcare announces the successful completion of the reaccreditation process from DNV GL - Healthcare.

By earning full accreditation, Houston Healthcare facilities, located throughout Houston County, have demonstrated they meet or exceed patient safety standards (Conditions ofParticipation) set forth by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. DNV GL’s accreditation program is the only one to integrate the ISO 9001 Quality Management Systemwith the Medicare Conditions of Participation.

“Patient safety includes each of us at Houston Healthcare and providing our patients and their family members with safe, quality care is our top priority,” says Charles Briscoe, President and Chief Executive Officer for Houston Healthcare. “It’s imperative that we remain committed to patient safety and through the DNV GL program, we are able to consistently integrate their ISO 9001 quality standards with our clinical and financial processes to help improve the overall patient experience.”

Houston Healthcare has three years from the date of its accreditation to achieve compliance with ISO 9001, the world’s most trusted quality management system used by performance-driven organizations around the world to advance their quality and sustainability objectives.

“We have taken an entirely different approach to accreditation, and hospitals are really responding,” says DNV GL - Healthcare CEO Patrick Horine. “Since accreditation is a must-havecredential for just about every hospital in this country, why not make it more valuable, and get more out of it? That’s where ISO 9001 comes into play, and turns the typical get-your-ticket-punched accreditation exercise into a quality transformation.”

DNV GL’s accreditation program, called NIAHO (Integrated Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations), involves annual hospital surveys – instead of every three years – andencourages hospitals to openly share information across departments and to discover improvements in clinical workflows and safety protocols.