Breaking News—Longhua Hospital became the first traditional Chinese medicine hospital accredited by Joint Commission International (JCI) under the Academic Medical Center accreditation program

Longhua Hospital Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Figure 1) was recently confirmed by the Joint Commission International (JCI) headquarters that the hospital has passed the initial review held by JCI (Figure 2). This initial review was in accordance with the latest sixth edition of JCI Accreditation Standards, which is composed of 16 chapters, 304 standards, and 120 measurable items and has been widely regarded as the most stringent edition to date. Thus, Longhua Hospital became the first JCI-accredited traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) hospital as an “Academic Medical Center”.

Figure 1 Longhua Hospital.

Figure 2 The summarization conference of JCI “Academic Medical Center” accreditation held in Longhua Hospital.

JCI is world’s leading accreditation body for hospital quality and also the most credible international medical quality accreditation institution. Patient-centered care is the core concept of JCI accreditation, whereas quality and safety is the core content. The JCI standards represent the highest level of global medical services and hospital management and have been known as the “golden standards” for the verification of medical institutions. Longhua Hospital received a 5-day critical review from June 25th to 29th. The reviewers appointed by JCI Headquarters were divided into five groups to conduct strict and careful inspections of Longhua Hospital through interviews, patient tracking, system tracking, and document review, focusing on aspects including medical care, nursing, education, scientific research, facilities/equipment, hospital infection control, information management, and staffing.

As a TCM hospital, Longhua Hospital has adhered to its mission of “Quality First, Patients First, Inheritance and Innovation, and Pursuing Excellence”. After nearly 60 years of efforts, it has made tremendous achievements in medical services, teaching, and scientific research, with honorable titles including “National Civilization Unit with Distinctive Characteristics and Outstanding Strength in Traditional Chinese Medicine”, “National Model TCM Hospital”, grade-A tertiary hospital, and one of the first batch of national TCM clinical research bases. To further improve its quality and safety, Longhua Hospital has vigorously promoted the continuous and in-depth development of hospital management. The self-motivated hospital initiated the JCI accreditation 3 years ago, with a roadmap that included a list of features including the baseline work, processes, mechanisms, effectiveness, and long-term developments. Under the joint efforts of all staff in Longhua Hospital, all departments closely cooperate with each other to achieve continuous quality improvement and build a culture of “safe hospital”. Any hidden risks that may affect the safety of patients and employees were immediately were eradicated. After having successfully completed the baseline assessment, HIMSS Stage 6, JCI accreditation simulation, and formal review, the quality and safety in Longhua Hospital have further been improved.

After passing the JCI accreditation, the hospital will strive to provide patients with uniform, accessible, and high-quality TCM services and contribute to the internationalization of Chinese medicine and the realization of “Healthy China” strategy, highlighting the duties and commitment of a TCM hospital in the new era. Also, the hospital wishes to offer more experiences for JCI accreditation from the perspective of a TCM hospital in mainland China.

Acknowledgments

Funding: None.

Footnote

Provenance and Peer Review: This article was commissioned by the Editorial Office, Longhua Chinese Medicine. The article did not undergo external peer review.

Conflicts of Interest: The author has completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/lcm.2018.07.01). The author has no conflicts of interest to declare.

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