The Medical City Secures Its Fourth International Accreditation

Premier health institution The Medical City (TMC) has earned its fourth Joint Commission International’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Hospital Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its internationally-recognized standards. The Gold Seal of Approval® is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.

TMC was first accredited by JCI, the world’s most prestigious accrediting body for health care organizations, in 2006 and again in 2009 and 2012.

TMC underwent a rigorous on-site survey on September 14 to 18, 2015. During the survey, a team of JCI expert surveyors evaluated compliance with hospital standards related to a variety of areas, including the International Patient Safety Goals, patient assessment and care, anesthesia and surgical care, medication management, patient and family education, quality improvement, infection prevention and control, governance and leadership, facility management, staff qualifications and education, and information management.

The health institution received perfect scores in critical standards on Patient and Family Rights (PFR), Access to Care and Continuity of Care (ACC), Care of Patients (COP), and Governance, Leadership and Direction (GLD) Staff Qualifications and Education (SQE).

“Joint Commission International accreditation provides hospitals with the processes contributing to improvements in a variety of areas from the enhancement of staff education to the demonstration of leading practices within the hospital setting,” said Paul Chang, MD, MBA, MPH, CPHQ, FACHE, Vice President, Accreditation, Standards, and Measurement, Joint Commission International.

“We commend The Medical City for its efforts to become a quality improvement organization, and achieving this pinnacle demonstrating a commitment to patient safety and quality. The citizens of the Philippines should be proud that The Medical City is focusing on this most challenging goal – to continuously raise quality to higher levels,” said Dr. Chang.

For his part, Dr. Alfredo R.A. Bengzon, President and CEO of The Medical City said that “The Medical City is pleased to receive accreditation from Joint Commission International, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the world.”

“This is an achievement of the entire TMC community, from front linters to supervisors to managers to the leadership of various units in the whole organization, throwing the best of ourselves in the service of our patients, our country and the Lord,” said Dr. Bengzon.

JCI’s hospital standards are developed in consultation with worldwide health care experts and providers, measurement experts, and patients. The standards are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help organizations measure, assess and improve performance.

Certification for AMI Program

TMC has also received a certification from JCI for its Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) program. This makes TMC the first health institution in the Philippines to be granted a JCI Clinical Care Program Certification (CCPC) for its AMI program.

“It is with great pleasure that I inform you of the decision to grant certification to The Medical City Acute Myocardial Infarction Program. Congratulations to you, and all the other leaders and staff of The Medical City AMI Program in achieving this recognition of your commitment to provide quality care on an ongoing basis,” said Dr. Chang.

JCI launched its Clinical Care Program Certification in 2002, the first international program of its kind to certify disease management programs. To earn this distinction, a clinical care program such as the AMI undergoes an extensive on-site evaluation by a JCI reviewer. The JCI Clinical Care Program Certification is designed to provide a comprehensive evaluation program that can support healthcare providers in improving the safety and quality of their services.

AMI is the medical term for heart attack. The TMC Cardiovascular Center has an AMI program which targets a 90 minute or less Door-to-Balloon time. This means that a heart attack patient who walks through the doors of the hospital’s Emergency Department should have the blocked coronary artery opened in the Catheterization Laboratory within 90 minutes.

TMC’s expanded Cath Lab capacity and experienced and highly competent interventional cardiologists and support staff who are trained to handle such complex cases, ensure the successful implementation of the AMI program giving patients the best possible and the most timely cardiac care.

On September 21 and 22, a JCI surveyor conducted the on-site inspection and Clinical Care Program Certification (CCPC) survey for the AMI program according to the international medical guidelines and JCI standards.

Every facet of care for the hospital’s heart attack patients was surveyed. The review looked at the Cardiovascular Center’s Rapid Response program for heart attack patients in the ER, the measures and improvements made over the past years to facilitate the quick and effective management of these patients, and the programs instituted to make sure they get optimal medical care.

The JCI surveyor also reviewed the actual outcomes of heart attack patients with respect to survival and quality of life to make sure these are within accepted international standards.

“A Heart Attack is a true emergency. Survival depends a lot on the best care, including timely intervention in the catheterization laboratory to open up an occluded coronary artery, and optimal medical care, nutritional advice, and cardiac rehabilitation,” said Dr. Gregorio Martinez, Jr., Head of the Cardiac and Vascular Catheterization Laboratory and the Cardiovascular Center.

“We at The Medical City Cardiovascular Center are proud to be the first institution in the country to have an Acute Myocardial Infarction Program certified by the JCI,” added Dr. Martinez.

(From left) JCI surveyors Joseph Skarzynski, MD; Carla L. Cassidy, RN, and Ozlem Yildirim Veenstra, PhD; TMC Chairman of the Board Dr. Augusto P. Sarmiento; TMC President and CEO Dr. Alfredo R.A. Bengzon; Strategic Services Group (SSG) Head Margaret A. Bengzon; SVP for Medical Services Group Dr. Eugenio Jose F. Ramos; SVP for Patient Services Group Virginia B. Alano; VP for Professional Services Development Office (PSDO) Dr. Blesilda E. Concepcion; SVP for Finance and Administrative Services Group Benita J. Macalagay; Corporate Human Resources Head Socorro Y. Sun and Dr. Erlinda C. Oracion, AVP and Clinical Quality Director, Quality Improvement and Safety Division (QSD)

The four JCI surveyors (from left): Denise Fritz, RN; Ozlem Yildirim Veenstra, PhD; Joseph Skarzynski, MD, and Carla L. Cassidy, RN

The Medical City community with the JCI surveyors at the Augusto Barcelon auditorium

JCI surveyor Carla L. Cassidy, RN, with TMC President and CEO Dr. Alfredo R.A. Bengzon; Strategic Services Group (SSG) Head Margaret A. Bengzon; SVP for Medical Services Group Dr. Eugenio Jose F. Ramos; SVP for Patient Services Group Virginia B. Alano; VP for Professional Services Development Office (PSDO) Dr. Blesilda E. Concepcion and members of The Medical City AMI Program team

TMC Cardiovascular Center doctors led by SVP for Medical Services Group Dr. Eugenio Jose F. Ramos; Dr. Gregorio Martinez, Jr., Head of the Cardiac and Vascular Catheterization Laboratory and the Cardiovascular Center, and Dr. Paolo Prado, AMI program director with members of the AMI Program team

###

Joint Commission International (JCI) was established in 1997 as a division of Joint Commission Resources, Inc. (JCR), a wholly controlled, not-for-profit affiliate of The Joint Commission. Through international accreditation, consultation, publications and education programs, JCI extends The Joint Commission’s mission worldwide by helping to improve the quality of patient care. JCI assists international health care organizations, public health agencies, health ministries and others in more than 100 countries.