Octapharma News December 5th, 2003

December 5th, 2003

International Recognition of Octapharma Portugal’s Quality Achievements

In June, we published news of the ISO 9001:2000 quality certification for Octapharma Portugal. The experiences of the subsidiary in developing a quality program, achieving two certifications, success with organization learning, and realizing enhanced customer satisfaction have just been published in the ISO Journal of Management Systems special healthcare edition (published in English, Spanish and French editions).

The International Organization of Standardization (ISO), is a non-governmental body composed of national standards institutes from 147 countries. ISO maintains rigorously high quality standards and imposes strict and extensive criteria for certification. There are approximately 610,000 organizations in 159 countries employing ISO’s management system standards. ISO accreditation is an internationally recognised benchmark for quality.

The article “ISO 9001:2000 Provides Octapharma with Springboard for Achieving Business Objectives and Fulfilling Life-Saving Mission” provides a case history describing the rationale, development, challenges, and benefits for implementing a quality program and pursuing ISO certification in a health care organization. In Europe, there are almost 4,000 ISO certified health services organizations whilst in North America, where ISO standards are just now beginning to be adopted, there are about 100 certified health care organizations.

Author of the article, Ms. Eve Jokel MPH says,
"Publication of Octapharma Portugal´s quality achievements in such a prestigious journal is very important for the subsidiary. Not only does it provide third party recognition of their success but it offers insight for other companies considering quality initiatives, provides customers with additional understanding of the subsidiary’s quality program, and will also motivate the entire team to continue striving for excellence in quality healthcare."

The Health Care edition of the Journal is likely to be an additional resource for companies considering certification. Key points of the Octapharma article include: Organizations considering implementing a quality program need to be prepared for the investments that are often required, both in staff time and possible capital acquisitions such as information systems or equipment enhancements. Furthermore, great attention must be devoted to the training and motivation of staff as their participation is vital to the success of the program. Top level management support provides the engine for progress towards completion of implementation and maintenance thereafter. Significant benefits include initiating a process of organization learning, and most importantly, continuing reaching for greater goals in terms of customer satisfaction.

Launched in October 2001, the ISO Journal of Management Systems is a valuable bimonthly periodical read by approximately 20,000 subcribers, national standards institutes of 147 countries, the organizations they serve, and those who are considering quality certification. The journal reports case studies for various industries, in addition to articles on quality management strategies. The readership profile comprises quality managers and professionals (certification bodies, trainers and consultants). You can find more information about ISO and the Journal of Management Systems at their website: www.iso.org

Click here for PDF: “ISO 9001:2000 Provides Octapharma with Springboard for Achieving Business Objectives and Fulfilling Life-Saving Mission”
(Please note that clicking on this link will take you outside of the Octapharma web site)

© Octapharma AG, 2003