Ball Memorial Hospital - the first Indiana hospital to receive NIAHO accreditation

[Sidney Vianna]

http://www.thestarpress.com/article/...812290308/1046

Ball Memorial Hospital has become the first Indiana hospital to receive NIAHO accreditation for its compliance with Medicare rules.

The National Integration for Accredited Healthcare Organizations Accreditation is granted by Det Norske Veritas Healthcare (DNV) under the authority of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
"At Ball Memorial Hospital our mission is to take excellent care of our patients," Ball Memorial Hospital president Brent Batman said. "It is nice to hear from others, when we receive accreditation and recognition, what we already know ... that the best IS right here."
NIAHO Accreditation performs the same function as JCAHO (Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations). Having both accreditations confirms BMH's dedication to and compliance with best practices, as well as patient care and safety, officials said.
NIAHO Accreditation combines full ISO 9001 certification with a survey determining compliance with Medicare and Medicaid rules (Medicare Conditions of Participation). All areas of the hospital, clinical and non-clinical, are surveyed for effective processes. Additionally, the survey team interviews staff and patients. BMH received full ISO certification in 2007.
"This is a significant achievement," said Claire Lee, administrative director of quality and safety at Ball Memorial. "As the first hospital in Indiana to receive both full ISO certification and NIAHO accreditation, we have high standards relative to our continuous quality and process improvement."
DNV is an independent international foundation, operating since 1898, concerned with safeguarding life, property and the environment. To ensure innovation and patient safety as two vital pieces in hospital best practices, the NIAHO Accreditation holds hospitals accountable for the continual improvement of process planning, management, measurement and documentation.

[MIREGMGR]

Have Ball personnel had anything to say publically about their approach to achieving and maintaining both a JCAHO best-practices and an ISO 9001 systems approach? In Ball's case, were there any interactions between their NIAHO and JCAHO auditors as to cooperative interpretations?