JCI is the world’s most renowned quality accreditation organization in healthcare.
More than 1000 key elements examining various healthcare aspects directly related to patient care are measured during the JCI survey; including patient safety, access to care, safe use of medications, infection prevention and control, quality improvement and leadership.
Bellevue Medical Center, a new general hospital in Mansourieh affiliated to St Joseph University,joinsan elite of 500 hospitals worldwide in acquiring the JCI accreditation.
Bellevue Medical Center (BMC)is proud to announce that it has achieved international accreditation from Joint Commission International (JCI), the worldwide leader in improving the quality of health care. The international award recognizes the high quality of patient care and safety provided at the hospital.
Hospitals are places where quality and safety should be of prime importance, given the number of things that can go wrong and the harm that can occur to patients or staff. Even in a country like the USA, where quality of care is a topic of paramount priority; major high impact errors can occur, such as preventable medication errors(occurring at least 1.5 million times per year*), healthcare-associated infections (causing 100,000 deaths per year), surgical complications (~16% of cases varying from mild to life threatening *), orwrong site surgeries (estimated to occur 40 times every week). The matter is even more serious in Lebanon where we often hear of medical errors happening in hospitals yet no real action taken from the side of the government or 3rd party to monitor institutions and improve outcomes.
The JCI accreditation was awarded to Bellevue Medical Center after a rigorous onsite evaluation by an international team of healthcare experts. Surveyors spent four days interviewing patients, staff and hospital leaders on care practices, policies and procedures, and looking in detail at hospital care for individual patients. They examined crucial issues such as medication management, infection prevention and control, patient assessment, patient rights, credentialing of nurses and medical staff, leadership of the organization and many others. Their rigorous process going in detail over more than 1000 measurable elements required Bellevue to demonstrate a track record of standards compliance.
To mark the occasion, BMC held an official announcement ceremony at the hospital premises under the patronage of H.E. Mr. Hasan Khalil, Minster of Public Health, and in the presence of a number of key figures in the government as well as healthcare, including members of parliament of the area, heads of syndicates of hospitals and physicians, deans of faculties of medicine in various universities, among others. During the ceremony, Dr. Dia Hassan, President & Chief Executive Officer at Bellevue Medical Center, said, “This outstanding achievement would not have been possible without a cumulative team effort from every individual and department at the hospital. We are very proud and congratulate all of the doctors and staff whose hard work and dedication to excellence and patient safety helped achieve this honor. We are committed to continuously improving the quality of care we provide and to make it part of the hospital’s culture.This achievement is a milestone in our journey towards excellence and partnership with our patients”.
Also commenting on the occasion, Dr. Bahij Arbid, General Manager of the Ministry of Health, said, “Achieving this JCI accreditation is not only an important event for Bellevue Medical Center, but also a great recognition for Lebanon as a center of medical excellence on the global level.”
The Joint Commission is an independent, non-profit organization that evaluates and accredits more than 18,000 healthcare organizations in the United States for over 75 years. JCI is the international arm that surveys hospitals outside of the United States. It is considered by many healthcare professionals as the golden standard for excellence and best practice. JCI’s thorough accreditation process distinguishes itself from other systems by focusing on issues directly impacting patient care and safety. The standards, of which there are more than 500, have been developed with international health experts to stimulate continuous, systematic and organization-wide improvement in daily performance and in the outcomes of patient care. Seeking an extra accreditation is a deliberate decision that an organization can take, demonstrating its commitment to provide safe, high-quality services to patients. Worldwide, around 500 hospitals have received today the JCI’s golden seal.Dr. Jacobson, Executive Director of JCI, stated in her report to Bellevue: “The citizens of Lebanon should be proud that Bellevue University Medical Center is focusing on this most challenging goal- to continuously raise quality to higher levels.”
With this accreditation, Bellevue Medical Center now joins an elite group of hospitals in Lebanon and worldwide, which have passed JCI's stringent clinical quality standards. It also is a tested confirmation of best practice and commitment of the hospital to providing the best to its patients.
-ends-
About Bellevue Medical Center:
Located in the beautiful valley of Qanater Zbaydeh, Mkalles, Bellevue Medical Center (BMC) is a general private university hospital offering medical services in various healthcare specialties to the Lebanese and international patient community.In October 2012, 3 years after its opening, BMC received the internationally recognized Joint Commission Accreditation (JCI).
