One of the changes that Americans may experience if Government Health Care Reform becomes a reality, will be the implementation of Evidence Based Medicine. Long ago defined by Dr David Sackett, and colleagues in the British Medical Journal: “evidence based medicine is the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients” [British Medical Journal 1996; 312: 71-72].
This has a familiar ring to it. It reminds me of the ISO family of standards for quality management that world class manufacturers have been working to for decades. Put forth by the International Organization of Standardization, beginning in 1987, the family of ISO standards is a set of procedures, best practices, monitoring and record keeping that guides the everyday manufacturing process.
Wikipedia describes the advantages of ISO this way: “It is widely acknowledged that proper quality management improves business, often having a positive effect on investment, market share, sales growth, sales margins, competitive advantage, and avoidance of litigation.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_9000
After 30 years of global implementation, the manufacturing process has been made more lean and more efficient due to strict adherence to ISO standards. Following the ISO Standards and maintaining certification has been a win/win situation for manufacturers, their customers and their suppliers. If medical providers were asked to adhere to a set of standards with a proven track record for success, it could very well mean better outcomes for patients, more often.
At Connecticut Plastics, Inc. we take the standards of ISO 9001 and our quality management program seriously. It has provided our customers with quality parts and on time delivery 100% of the time. These standards are globally recognized. In our industry, having ISO 9001 Certification brings a degree of confidence to the customer when choosing a supplier for precision plastic machined parts.
