First Hospital Registration

[Marc]

Pulaski Community Hospital Achieves a National First

For more information, contact: Pulaski Community Hospital 2400 Lee Highway, Pulaski, VA 24301 540/994-8100

PULASKI, VIRGINIA, June 15, 1998 -- Pulaski Community Hospital is the first and only hospital in the United States to receive ISO 9000 certification for quality performance and JCAHO Accreditation with Commendation. Notification of the certification was received in a letter dated May 12 from Albert J. Egreczky, Vice President Operations, Kemper Registrar Services, Inc., Flemington, NJ. "The Certification Committee has voted to accept the recommendations of the audit team to certify and register Pulaski Community Hospital, New River Valley Cancer Care Center, and Columbia Homecare of Pulaski Community Hospital under Kemper Registrar Services Certification Program." Columbia Homecare of Pulaski Community Hospital is believed to be the first home health agency, and New River Valley Cancer Care Center the first cancer center, in the United States to achieve ISO 9000 certification.

http://www.pch-va.com/Press_Releases/PR_ISO9000.htm

I have five Hospital ISO certifications under my belt.

The first one was back in July 98.

In Australia, Hospitals have had to be accredited to a dreadful, bureacratic system called EQuIP.

There was only one assessing body who charge accordingly.

Hospitals are now showing interest in changing to ISO9000 which is adaptable to them and allows them to determine how to run their lives.

A holdup has been government which is just starting to allow publicly funded hospitals to choose which system to be accredited to.