Palm Beach Gardens, FL, June 10, 2019 - ( PR.com ) - The International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) , through its accreditation body: The International Society for Quality in Health, External Assessment Association (IEEA), today announced the accreditation of the Medical Tourism Standards of the Global Healthcare Accreditation program.
Founded in 1985, ISQua is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to promoting quality improvement in health care. It is internationally recognized as the "accreditor of accreditors" and the benchmark for international health accreditation bodies seeking external validation of their standards. IEEA accreditation, through ISQua, ensures that GHA standards meet the highest international reference standards for accreditation entities.
According to Laurent Pochat-Cottilloux, global head of health reinsurance for AXA, "I have worked with international health insurance for over 20 years and understand the challenges patients face when seeking medical care outside of their country or region. Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) program is filling a gap in the accreditation landscape as it focuses primarily on improving the patient experience and sustainable business practices along the international patient path in and out of the environment Hospital: before admission, during stay, and after discharge. Achieving IEEA accreditation for your medical travel standards should provide safety and confidence to traveling patients and health care payers,that GHA-accredited organizations focus on transparency and meet or exceed international best practice in medical travel. "
GHA-accredited organizations are internationally recognized for their medical expertise and the quality of their services, and include the following healthcare providers:
Bumrungrad International Hospital , Thailand; Cleveland Clinic, Ohio ; Santa Clarita SC Clinic , Mexico; European Interbalkan Medical Center , Greece; Mercy Hospital Springfield ; Prince Sultan Cardiac Center Al Hassa , Saudi Arabia; St. Catherine Specialty Hospital , Croatia and Vejthani Hospital , Thailand.
"IEEA accreditation received through ISQua is an important achievement for GHA as it responds to our goal of improving patient experience, expanding organizations' business strategy toward operational excellence, and facilitating the creation of close provider networks health care for medical tourism patients, "said Karen Timmons, GHA Executive Director. "IEEA accreditation of GHA standards provides assurance to patients, insurers, ministries of health and other interested entities, certifying that an organization's medical tourism services have been rigorously evaluated against the highest reference rates International Accreditation Bodies Focus on International Medical Tourism Best Practices and Seek Continual Improvement For GHA, the accreditation process with IEEA demonstrates our commitment to walking in our clients' shoes as it has enhanced our understanding of the needs and expectations of our clients who are preparing for GHA accreditation. "
Ms Timmons stated: "The results of the GHA accreditation process better positions healthcare providers to effectively attract and serve medical tourism patients. In fact, it has been gratifying to hear some feedback from our accredited clients where highlights are improvements in patient satisfaction assessments and an increase in the volume of medical tourism patients As healthcare providers expand their global brand, the medical tourism industry will become increasingly competitive and defined based on the consumer choice and preferences. My wish is that organizations looking to improve and differentiate their services,adopt an evidence-based framework for medical tourism that includes a focus on sustainable business practices and the patient experience. "
For the official press release, see here .
* Medical travel is also commonly known as medical tourism or health tourism.
GHA Standards Accredited by ISQUA
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