Hospital Punta Pacifica receives official JCI accreditation

Hospital Punta Pacifica (HPP) in Panama City, Panama, has been awarded the official accreditation of Joint Commission International (JCI). Johns Hopkins Medicine International — the Baltimore, Maryland, USA-based international arm of Johns Hopkins Medicine — assisted Hospital Punta Pacifica in its preparation for the JCI accreditation review by providing rigorous training for the HPP staff in quality, patient safety, infection control, leadership, nursing and human resource management, and by conducting assessments and mock surveys.

Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation demonstrates the firm commitment of a health care organization to continuously improving patient safety and the delivery of medical care. It sets high health care standards that clearly define the principles and processes needed to assess the key functions of acute care organizations and helps to ensure that health care delivery is in line with these standards.

"Hospital Punta Pacifica has reached a very important milestone, and we commend its physicians, management team, nursing staff, and all the ancillary and support staff for their commitment to providing medical care that meets the highest international standards of safety and quality," says Steve Thompson, chief executive officer of Johns Hopkins Medicine International. "We believe that this very important designation will help HPP to maintain and enhance its position as one of the leaders in health care in the region. It demonstrates the commitment of HPP and its dedicated personnel to provide world-class health care to the local community and beyond."

"This accreditation validates the efforts that our medical and management teams have undertaken throughout the years to position Hospital Punta Pacífica as a model private health care institution, to raise the standards of the health care in the region and to deliver world-class medical care to Panama's citizens," says Richard Larison, chief executive officer of Hospital Punta Pacífica.

"Not only is JCI accreditation a significant achievement for our hospital, but it is also an important milestone for health care in Panama, as it marks a new era in the delivery of medical services for Panamanian hospitals and their patients," says Dr. Moises Zebede, chief medical officer of Hospital Punta Pacifica. "This accreditation attests to the firm commitment of the physician and nursing community in Panama to providing world-class care to its patients through international collaborations, such as the one between HPP and Johns Hopkins Medicine. It allows us to bring the latest achievements in patient safety, quality control and clinical best practices to our community and the region."

HPP, a 74-bed medical center in the heart of Panama City, signed a management agreement with Johns Hopkins Medicine International (JHI) in 2008, the first in Latin America. The agreement includes collaborations in of infection control, patient safety, knowledge transfer, clinical program development, nursing and hospital administration.

Source: Hospital Punta Pacifica