Canadian agency to help raise medtourism standards

CEBU, Philippines -  The world’s leader in raising the bar for healthcare services, Accreditation Canada International (ACI) has entered Cebu to help medical institutions achieve world-class standard to push the province’s bid of becoming a preferred Medical Tourism hub.

ACI, is a non-profit, private and independent firm, provides healthcare expertise at the highest levels of credibility to other countries.

Marcelle McPhaden, ACI accounts manager and regional manager for Asia, was in Cebu recently to make her rounds of introduction to private and publicly managed hospitals in order to embrace world-class medical practice, through the agency’s diverse and customized approaches, depending on the institution’s requirement.

According to McPhaden, ACI is not just an accreditation agency, but its approach is to closely partner with medical institution to properly improve the entire system of service, making it a truly world-class.

Although, other hospitals in Cebu and in other parts of the Philippines already employed international standard through other accreditation agencies such as the JCI (Joint Commission Inc), McPhaden said engaging into ACI’s standard would heighten a medical institution’s credibility as a healthcare provider, specifically to the growing foreign medical tourists.

Initially, ACI explored possibility of partnership with the Cebu Doctors Hospital chain management, and other medical institutions, McPhaden said.

She said the Philippines, which is known for its good healthcare abroad should leverage on the healthcare service to invite foreign medical tourists, and that seeking international standard should be first to be implemented.

Through the use of quality improvement processes and implementation of required safety practices, ACI offers the highest level of health and social services accreditation. “Organizations can directly benchmark with Canadian and international standards and practices.”

“ACI believes in integrated health services and is the only organization that develops system-wide standards and accredits complete primary, secondary and tertiary health systems, as well has released Global Health Care standards to promote quality and safety in medical tourism,” she emphasized in a press conference.

At present, ACI is working with four organizations in the Philippines, namely, the Manila Doctors Hospital, Philippine Heart Center, Asian Eye Institute, and Clinica Manila.

McPhaden hopes that aside from privately managed medical institutions, the government-owned hospitals should also consider to employ this international standard to stress quality and internationally at par health-care service in the Philippines, across segments.

She said organizations can achieve the highest health outcomes while managing increasing healthcare costs for patients, systems and facilities.

“ACI helps organizations by developing and sourcing a variety of solutions, from accreditation, patient safety tools, unique professional development experiences and consultancy,” she said.

Moreover, McPhaden emphasized that ACI has over 50 years of experience in developing accreditation programs.

Since 1967, ACI has provided healthcare accreditation, advisory services and education in over 65 organizations—public and private healthcare systems and smaller facilities such as laboratories in five continents worldwide. (FREEMAN)