Clínica Alemana of Santiago was accredited by the Joint International Commission (JCI). JCI is the leading global organization promoting ongoing improvements in the quality of health care through setting and monitoring standards.
In 2007, Clínica Alemana initiated this voluntary process with JCI. It required a rigorous program involving the entire professional staff and included training as well as the reorganizing and restructuring of a large number of administrative and health care related procedures.
To evaluate compliance with the standards, a team of JCI experts visited Clínica Alemana last April. They inspected the majority of the hospital's facilities and services, including the operating rooms, the intensive care unit, both the adult and pediatric medical-surgical services departments, the emergency room, the dialysis unit, the oncology and maternity departments, the maxillofacial and dental surgery sections, the imaging facilities, the laboratories, the blood bank and all of the basic and support services.
What is the Joint International Commission?
The JCI is a non-governmental, non profit independent organization whose purpose is to improve the quality of health care services, through certification, accreditation, consultation and education of health care providers. JCI has accredited more than 220 private and public health organizations in 33 countries.
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The accreditation standards vary by country and are designed based on local needs, legal issues and cultural characteristics. They focus on those areas that most directly affect the patient, such as access to health care, privacy, patient rights and obligations; control of hospital-borne infections, safety; organizational leadership and information management.
Clínica Alemana obtained a very high score from the review team when the final report was issued in mid-June. This means that they received an accreditation without restriction. This achievement was described by JCI's executives as an acknowledgement of the Hospital's success in their continuing effort to promote quality care.
Dr. Claus Krebs, Clínica Alemana's medical director, noted, "This important international recognition could not have been obtained without the high level of commitment of the entire hospital staff. They were united in their objective of instituting fundamental organizational change to ensure that our patients continue to receive the highest quality and security".
The accreditation lasts for three years, after which it must be renewed. During this period it is necessary to demonstrate that the JCI's standards are being adhered to with a process of continuous improvement.
