Greetings,Accreditation has long been a recurring theme in medical travel and with good reason. However, theres a new theme emerging: making accreditation and the learning opportunities associated with it available to all. As covered in our interview with the Joint Commission Internationals (JCI) Paula Wilson in Issue 3, JCI is working hard to provide education and training programs to institutions and facilities regardless of their accreditation status. Also looking to expand learning and training opportunities is the accreditation newcomer ONE HealthCare Worldwide (OHW) (See SPOTLIGHT). Under the direction of Varsha Lafargue, founder and director of the Indian Medical Tourism Conference & Alliance, OHW aims to “raise the standards of patient care by providing a rating system that will enable all patients to share their experiences and concerns.” Recognizing that cost is often an obstacle to accreditation, OHW is introducing a “cluster” option that allows a group of hospitals to apply together and share the expense. Its an interesting approach that certainly could provide the resources and training to improve the quality of care on a broader scale. As always, we welcome your comments, story ideas, and press releases.  Cheers, Amanda Haar, Editor [email protected] |
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