BSI, the business improvement and standards company, in collaboration with the Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations (CAHO), has completed a pilot programme with healthcare organisations across India, enabling enhanced patient satisfaction and reduced readmission rates.
The pilot included Dr Mehta’s Hospitals, Chennai, and Annai Velankanni Hospital, Tirunelveli, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It 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 organisation. 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 reported benefits including:
- Improved patient satisfaction with wait times reduced by up to 60 per cent
- Increased regulatory compliance, improved by approximately 10 per cent
- Reduced readmission rates, lowered by around 40 per cent
- Decreased medication ‘stock outs’, reduced by approximately 80 per cent
- Improved employee satisfaction, with attrition cut by around 50 per cent
India’s healthcare sector is undergoing transformation as providers work to improve quality, consistency and access. In 2023, hospitals accounted for 44 per cent of all healthcare investments, amounting to approximately USD 6.1 billion, reflecting year-on-year growth of nearly 24 per cent. Despite this growth and increasing private sector investment, the sector continues to face 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 inhibit the delivery of patient-centred care. These factors, combined with limited financial resources, have restricted the ability of hospitals and health systems to invest in quality improvement, infrastructure and staff 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, organisations 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 organisations 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, stated, “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.”