Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa, P.C., (PCI) has recently received recertification to the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System Standard from the certifying registrar organization, DNV. PCI achieved the original certification on November 10, 2003 and recertification is required every three years.

ISO is a non-governmental international organization that establishes worldwide standards for quality. It began in 1947 with a focus on industrial standards, primarily in manufacturing. The ISO 9000 family of standards focuses on management processes. In order to maintain certification to the ISO 9001:2008 standards, Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa, PC had to demonstrate that it has a quality system in place that is comprehensive, effective and focused on customers, including patients, referring physicians and vendors. The system must include goals for improvement in service delivery, control of documents, constant monitoring of all company procedures and surveys of customers to ensure that their needs are being met.

PCI along with James Levett, MD PCI's Chief Medical Officer, chose ISO 9001 because it is a comprehensive quality management system, affecting the entire organization, and because many large manufacturers and other employers in the Cedar Rapids area also use ISO standards.

Along with establishing procedures for ISO’s six basic standards – control of documents, control of records, control of nonconformity, an internal audit process, corrective action and preventive action - clinic have staff mapped the flow of a patient through the clinic from making the first appointment to receiving payment from the insurance company for services.

An essential component of ISO 9001 certification is the review process. Internal audits by staff trained to carry out these reviews within departments are conducted on a regular basis or as a result of problems or errors.

In addition, a registrar from the certifying organization, DNV, conducts surveillance audit during the year. The audits provide a constant review of PCI’s processes and standards. The ISO 9001:2008 standards provide the structure to pinpoint causes for poor performance and the means to respond immediately. Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa, PC staff and customers are assured of delivery of quality services and a continuing focus on improvement.

Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa, P.C., is a physician-owned and governed group of 55 physicians employing 250 staff, spread through five separate facilities in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Specialties represented within the clinic include cardiothoracic surgery, general surgery, neurology, sleep medicine, orthopedic surgery, sports medicine, physical & hand therapy, otolaryngology, audiology, allergy, medical spa, podiatry, rheumatology, urology, vascular surgery, hematology and oncology allergy services.