The good news came recently that the International Medical Department of Xiangya Hospital attained cum laude accreditation from JCI, which is a subsidiary of Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health-care Organizations (JCAHO) and boasts the most strict certification system for medical treatment. It marks that the International Medical Department is reaching the internationally highest standards in terms of administrative management, medical quality and safety of patients.
JCI is committed to the accreditation for medical institutions around the world except the US, and established the standards for medical service recognized by the world. The standards it set up represent the highest level of international medical service and hospital management, and are taken by World Health Organization (WHO) as “the gold standard” of medical quality and safety.
On December 6-9, JCI assessors Ellen Pentland (management group/nursing group) and Vishal K. Adma (medical group) made meticulous and comprehensive assessments of the International Medical Department. According to over 300 JCI standards and 1000 measuring items, the assessments, based on the safety of patients, were carried out by ways of document review, interview of the staff, tracing, quality monitoring of services, equipment inspection and so forth, and from the aspects of medical care, environment and facilities, infection control in the hospital, ethical framework, safety culture and so on. Ellen, the leader of the assessors, said that although the assessments were on the International Medical Department, she had seen the unity and efforts of the whole Xiangya Hospital, which she admired much, as more than 30 departments were involved in administrative management, pharmacy administration, laboratory service, logistics service and so on.
It is reported that Xiangya Hospital has worked in close cooperation with University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) to obtain JCI accreditation since February 26, 2015, and after 22 months, the International Medical Department finally met the international standard for quality, service and management. During the process, Xiangya Hospital invited UPMC experts to make simulation assessments twice, and positively improved itself according to the suggestions of the experts. The leaders of the department held regular meetings every week and prodded everyone into solving the key and difficult problems, creating such cultures as “the Director in charge, the staff involved, the patient supreme, safety first, active learning, seeking gaps, solving one by one, quickening improvements”, and finally reached advanced international standards in hospital management, settings, evaluation methods, equipment improvement, and etc.
