HCAC, Jordan celebrates one year anniversary of successes and achievements

August 18, 2009

The Health Care Accreditation Council (HCAC) is celebrating its one year anniversary since its official launch under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II on August 27, 2008.

HCAC came to life as a joint initiative from the Ministry of Health and the USAID under the Jordan Health Accreditation Project (JHAP).

JHAP had been working with all health care sectors for at least 2 years to develop hospital accreditation standards and to establish the HCAC and develop its technical and financial capacity to become the leader and key propagator of continuous healthcare quality improvement in Jordan and region.

HCAC was established in response to a need in having a national independent body that serves as a steward for health care accreditation. As an independent, not for profit organization, the HCAC aims to foster the continuous improvement of health care services through its mission.

Inherent to its purpose and mission, the HCAC develops healthcare accreditation standards, and assists healthcare facilities to meet the standards and achieve accreditation through consultations, training, surveyor certification and surveys.

"The past twelve months have seen the HCAC spring to life. It is a wonderful experience to see the translation of the HCAC mission into actual actions and accomplishments especially that the work for establishing the HCAC has been underway since 2005 and we are now seeing the results which are a benefit to all stakeholders and serves to bolster the credibility of health care quality in Jordan," said HCAC Board of Directors Chairperson - Eng. Said Darwazah.

The past year of official work of the HCAC held many accomplishments, including:

Accreditation of three additional hospitals from the public and private sectors, based on compliance to HCAC standards and thereby bringing the number of HCAC accredited hospitals in Jordan to five thus far.

Publication of the Second Edition of the HCAC Hospitals Standards, successful completion of two hospital surveyor courses and certification of two groups of hospital surveyors from Jordan who will serve as quality ambassadors in their health care organizations in addition to being one of the core elements for the accreditation process.

In addition, the HCAC was able to strengthen its presence and recognition as a leader in health care quality at both the regional and international levels. Internationally, the HCAC was elected to the Accreditation Council of ISQua - which oversees accreditation of all health care accreditation bodies in the world and now joins other peer international organizations.

At the same time, and due to the strong expertise developed in the area of health care accreditation, many countries and health care accreditation bodies from the region have approached the HCAC for consultations and transfer of knowledge and skills; these include Morocco, the West Bank and some gulf countries.

HCAC also welcomed a delegation from the Medical Tourism Association, Inc. (MTA), a non-profit association that offers the best high-standard medical care in a global environment. The visit aimed to enhance links between the Council and specialized International Associations. The meetings focused on the importance of obtaining an accreditation of hospitals that is recognized by The International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua) .

Ms. May Abuhamdia, HCAC Chief Executive Officer, presented HCAC's pivotal role and goals in Jordan and its objective in promoting ISQua qualifications. In return, Mr. Jonathan Edeleheit, President of MTA , highlighted the importance of HCAC in reference to Jordan's medical care tourism .

The HCAC also participated in key regional health care congresses and exhibitions to show case the Jordanian accreditation experience represented by the HCAC; these included participation in the Seventh Congress for the Arab Hospitals Federation held in Damascus in March 2009.

This congress also coincided with the Arab Health Ministers' Meeting. During its participation HCAC presented the Jordanian accreditation experience by highlighting the Council as a one of its kind initiative in the Middle East.

Dr. Fawzi Al-Ethaimi, Director of Arab Hospitals Federation, praised the Jordanian experience in accreditation by founding HCAC and inviting congress participants to benefit from HCAC's expertise and services.

The HCAC was also the only regional accreditation body to present its breadth of expertise and the added value of its mission at the Hospital Build Conference and Exhibition that was held in Dubai recently.

May Abuhamdia, CEO of the HCAC indicated in statement that, "As a national accreditation body, the HCAC has larger responsibilities to shoulder above and beyond accreditation, and during the past year we have been able to forge very important partnerships that enable us to foster a culture of continuous quality improvement in healthcare and deliver on the responsibilities expected from us as a key player in healthcare quality and safety."

Abuhamdia added that the first of these efforts and initiatives were launch of the HCAC National Quality and Safety Goals which aim to reduce unsafe practices in healthcare and prevent avoidable harm during treatment.

"While we have only a handful of accredited hospitals thus far, forty four hospitals from all sectors in Jordan have pledged to the implementation of the 2009 HCAC National quality and patient safety goals and we look forward to the upcoming months to survey these hospitals and grant two year certification to the hospitals that successfully meet the three goals announced for this year," according to Abuhamdia.

Additionally and just recently the HCAC has entered into a partnership with Brandeis University and Joint Commission International to study the cost value of accreditation in hospitals in Jordan.

"This will be a groundbreaking study as it will be first time that we will be able to show, with evidence based research results, that improved healthcare quality brought on by accreditation actually pays off for all, and choosing Jordan and HCAC among all other countries in the region is yet another indication of the prominent position our country and the HCAC play at the international arena," added Abuhamdia.

The HCAC also and in line with mission and vision entered into a partnership with the Jordan Breast Cancer Program to develop an accreditation program for Breast Cancer Screening which will be a significant advancement and aid in the national efforts to curb breast cancer through early detection.

The HCAC and during this year has also initiated the necessary steps to complete the accreditation of all its programs by ISQua through filing for accreditation of the HCAC Surveyor program and the HCAC organization and according to Abuhamdia the HCAC will be only accreditation body in the region to obtain all the ISQua accreditations and among the only five in the world to achieve such.

"We are confident that we will have these international recognitions from ISQua before the end of the year," said Abuhamdia.

"Reaching this milestone - our one year anniversary - in the HCAC's journey is a true testament to our Board members, employees, surveyors, and our main supporter - the USAID. Over the past year numerous individuals have worked together to put the HCAC on the track that will enable us to be a hall mark in Jordan and the region. We are very proud of the achievements that have taken place over the last 12 months," says May Abuhamdia.

"This is an opportunity for all our stakeholders to pause and acknowledge the accomplishments of the past year. More importantly it is a time to focus on continually improving our operations, and our services to ensure a long and bright future for the HCAC. During this past period, I have truly appreciated the hard work and dedication of all the HCAC members and staff. Together, we are poised for growth and will continue to provide the health care community for the sake of our main beneficiary - the patients - with tools, solutions and the technical expertise necessary for making health care healthier, which is what our stakeholders expect from us," she added.

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