Hospital Hoists Flag in Honor of Accreditation

There’s a new flag carrying three important letters flying outside today.

While most hospitals stick with traditional accrediting agencies, local health officials opted more than a year ago to strive toward more rigid standards from an international agency.

Working through Norway-based Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital has been certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Fewer than 40 hospitals in the nation–and no other Downriver facility–are certified by ISO, according to Kathy Helak, vice president of quality and professional services at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital.

“The ISO standards are embedded in everything that we do every day to continuously improve,” Helak said “We are very proud of this accomplishment and the high standards of health care we are providing for the Downriver community." 

As part of their recognition, ISO presented the hospital with a flag, which was hoisted during a Thursday afternoon ceremony.

“Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital is very committed to quality patient care,” Helak said. “What these standards do is accelerate the work we have to do and takes it to a new level in terms of responsiveness and attention to continuously improving and not being satisfied with where we are.“

Helak said patients especially should be happy about the certification as it shows the hospital is offering the quality of service that everyone deserves.

“This distinguishes Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital from other hospitals in Wayne County because patients expect excellence in the hospital and now we’re able to show that we’re delivering just that,” she said.

ISO is an international network that aims to align industry practices of several nations. Founded in 1947, ISO guidelines hold more than 18,500 standards that are shared by 163 countries and endorsed by about 98 percent of the global workforce. The certification spans across all industries.  Health care has been a major part of the company for about four years.

Their standards are guided by the principles of:  

• Being patient-focused and centered on what each patient needs
• Being committed to quality and continuously striving to excel at meeting patients’ needs and improving their experience
• Promoting staff involvement in everything that’s done to ensure that quality care and services are delivered to patients
• Continuously improving all facets of the company and challenging employees to reach excellence
• Promoting strong collaborative relationships because patient care requires teamwork and recognition of diverse talents
• Making sound decisions based on data to ensure that facts and evidence-based practices are used to support all improvements