All nine locations in the Netherlands of Zonnestraal Hospital have recently earned the JCI Gold Seal of Approval, an accreditation that is recognised internationally as a symbol of quality and patient safety in healthcare organisations. This places the eye hospital among the leading healthcare institutions in the world.
The Joint Commission International (JCI) is an independent organisation that accredits and certifies the commitment of healthcare organisations worldwide to meeting certain quality and performance standards. Unlike many other accreditation programmes, JCI focuses specifically on practical patient care. JCI not only assesses whether procedures and care plans have been written down and validated, it especially looks at their practical implementation. This is done using the so-called tracer methodology, in which JCI auditors follow the experience of care, treatment or services for dozens of patients and employees through the organisation’s entire healthcare delivery process, from the first contact by telephone or at reception to surgery and follow-up care. Furthermore, accreditation is not a one-time accomplishment. JCI accreditation is only awarded to organisations that make ongoing improvements in order to optimise the quality of care provided. This too is permanently assessed by JCI.
Globally, less than 5% of all hospitals gain JCI accreditation in one go. The fact that Eye Hospital Zonnestraal has immediately earned full accreditation confirms that the quality of care provided is of the highest level. A team of JCI auditors evaluated the eye hospital on no less than 600 elements with regard to quality and patient safety, including medication safety, patient information, infection risk and limitation, and correct patient identification. The assessment also addressed issues such as the maintenance of (medical) equipment, the layout and management of the buildings, and the qualifications of the healthcare professionals.
Eye Hospital Zonnestraal is the first eye hospital in the Netherlands to be accredited the JCI seal of approval. Besides Eye Hospital Zonnestraal, there are four JCI accredited hospitals in the Netherlands, teaching hospitals AMC and UMC Utrecht, and general hospitals Maasstad and Isala, as well as one JCI accredited healthcare institution, Rivas Healthcare Group.
Eye Hospital Zonnestraal is part of NL Healthcare.