BSI, the business improvement and standards company, in collaboration with the Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations (CAHO), has completed a pilot programme with healthcare organizations across India, enabling enhanced patient satisfaction and reduced readmission rates.
The pilot, which included Dr Mehta’s Hospitals, Chennai, and Annai Velankanni Hospital, Tirunelveli, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, involved the implementation of the first international consensus-based healthcare quality standard (ISO 7101). The standard is designed to improve patients’ experience by embedding a culture of quality across a healthcare organization. The programme’s main aim was to determine the opportunities, challenges and value additions of the standard in strengthening the hospitals’ quality management systems.
Since taking part in the programme, the two hospitals have seen significant benefits including:-
· Improved patient satisfaction – wait times up to 60% quicker
· Increased regulatory compliance – improved by approximately 10%
· Significantly reduced readmission rates – reduced by around 40%
· Decreasing medication ‘stock outs’ – indicating robust inventory management – reduced by approximately 80%
· Improved employee satisfaction – attrition cut by around 50%
India’s healthcare sector is undergoing significant transformation as providers work to improve quality, consistency, and access across the industry. Last year, hospitals accounted for 44% of all healthcare investments, amounting to approximately USD 6.1 billion—marking an impressive year-on-year growth of nearly 24%[1]. Despite rapid growth and increasing private sector investment, the sector continues to face several challenges—including inconsistent standards between public and private providers, workforce distribution gaps, poor staff retention, and limited access to continuous professional development.
During its engagement with clients across the pilot programme, BSI found that weak governance models and hierarchical management structures in some healthcare settings can further inhibit the delivery of truly patient-centered care. These factors, combined with limited financial resources, have historically restricted the ability of hospitals and health systems to invest in sustainable quality improvement, infrastructure and staff professional development and training.
Majid Zahoor, Global Director, Healthcare Sector at BSI said: “This pilot has clearly demonstrated how ISO 7101 provides a transformational framework for delivering people-centered care. By embedding continual improvement through the PDSA cycle, robust leadership practices, proactive risk management, and data-driven evaluation of health outcomes, organizations are achieving more than compliance—they are elevating operational performance across the board.
“Certification to ISO 7101 is enabling healthcare providers to streamline service delivery, reduce inefficiencies, and meet regulatory obligations with confidence. But the real impact lies in the culture shift: enhanced workforce wellbeing, stronger professional development, improved health literacy, and a consistent standard of care that puts patients first. The result is measurable financial improvement, empowered staff, and safer, more satisfying care experiences for every patient.
“We’re delighted to see Dr Mehta’s Hospitals and Annai Velankanni Hospital leading the way with this, positioning them as reliable, resilient, high-quality service providers. This certification provides healthcare organizations of all sizes and types with a robust foundation to enable high-quality, sustainable, safe healthcare services.”
Dr. S. Saravana Kumar, Group Unit Head, Dr. Mehta’s Hospitals, commented: “Dr. Mehta’s is advancing the future of healthcare through ISO 7101:2023 — the first global standard that transforms quality, safety, and service excellence into measurable, sustainable outcomes. Dr. Mehta’s is one of India’s first hospitals to pilot and achieve this certification and build on our 92-year legacy of over 2 million safe deliveries and 5 million complex surgeries, while optimising care pathways, enhancing clinical governance, and elevating patient experience.”
CAHO’s Dr Agarwal, added: “Participation in BSI’s impact pilot project in India has supported these hospitals to become early adopters of the standard, helping to build patient trust in the healthcare industry.”