WILLEMSTAD - The Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) has started preparations to qualify for an accreditation from the Joint Commission International (JCI). JCI is the quality standard to which the most renowned hospitals in the world adhere. To receive this accreditation, CMC must have all policies, processes, protocols and procedures "in place" to ensure a high quality of service to patients; from admission to discharge. In addition, CMC must demonstrate its commitment to keep improving all processes. The accreditation emphasizes CMC's "patient-first" policy, whereby CMC always puts the patient's experience first at every step it takes. This accreditation is also in line with CMC's slogan: Serve with love.
Representatives of Kerteza, a Belgian - Dutch company specializing in the JCI process, were in Curaçao last week to perform a baseline measurement to start the accreditation process. With the baseline measurement Kerteza maps out what CMC has already arranged well and what improvements are needed to be an accreditation worthy hospital. The requirements for JCI accreditation are extremely high and include measuring and adhering to 98% of the 250 quality standards with 1,200 measurable elements. Once Kerteza has completed the baseline measurement, CMC draws up / adjusts and implements policies, processes, protocols, and procedures that are still missing. The accreditation process will take approximately 2½ years. This is the average time it takes for hospitals abroad to complete the process.
The 2½ year process consists of 4 phases:
Phase 1: a baseline measurement of the initial situation (this phase started last week)
Phase 2: determining the difference between the current situation and the conditions that still need to be met are met to receive the JCI accreditation
Phase 3: implement, train employees, measure and improve all processes, procedures, and protocols
Phase 4: Final evaluation and preparation for the JCI external audit visit, which will be the official audit for the accreditation.
The board of CMC has chosen Kerteza because this company has extensive experience in guiding and helping hospitals in the Netherlands and Belgium that received the JCI accreditation on the first attempt. Some of these hospitals are Amsterdam UMC, Jan Yperman Hospital, AZ Glorieux, UZA (University Hospital Antwerp), Jeroen Bosch Hospital, AZ Monica, East Limburg Hospital.
Despite the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, CMC continues to work to provide a better service to the community and at the same time to build Curaçao on the landscape of the medical industry.
