JANUARY, 2019 | Th e HEALTH Plus
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“We subject ourselves to
such an audit to be on top
of things. We try to provide
the absolute best for our
patients.” – Akmal Arief
Quality treatment is key
Institut Jantung Negara is one of the few to be accredited by the Joint
Commission International
From structural safety, to water
supply, to even janitorial regime –
each aspect of the hospital is audited
to ensure the standard is up to par.
“It’s a comprehensive review of the
whole organization,” Akmal adds.
“We subject ourselves to such an
audit to be on top of things. So to
have that certifi cation is a serious
achievement. We try to provide the
absolute best for our patients.”
2019, busy year
“We are subjected to another round
of audit by the JCI in 2019, it will be
a busy one.” Akmal says that because
the auditing process gets more dif-
fi cult every time, as JCI themselves
THE PASSION... For us to become the best is to contribute
will update the requirements accord-
ing to the global standard.
to people who needs help, says Akmal Arief.
He elaborates, “Th e second edition
is more comprehensive and stringent
HERE is a certain level of quality any type than the fi rst edition, then more requirements are
of organizations strive to become. For a added for the third edition – and so forth. We are now
medical institution such as Institut Jan- subjected to our sixth edition, so it will be a challenge.”
tung Negara (IJN), the golden seal has to
be the Joint Commission International JCI The passion to become the best
For Akmal, and the rest of the people at IJN who works
accreditation.
together to serve their patients, there is a certain drive
What is JCI?
for them to become the best.
“Th e hospital is the last place anyone wants to
Founded in 1951, Joint Commission is the oldest
and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in visit unless really necessary. Th erefore for us, it’s all
health care in the United States. Joint Commission about the contribution. For us to become the best is
International was founded by the Joint Commission in to contribute to people who needs help. We want to
make sure that everyone who comes through here are
1994 and has touched more than 90 countries.
It is considered the gold standard in global health- being treated well.”
He continues, “I’ve worked in organizations that
care accreditation. It identifi es, measures, and shares
best practices in quality and patient safety across many gives priority to bottom lines, where the return on
investments, profi t margins, and revenue becomes
countries.
IJN actually publishes their quality accreditation the fuel. In IJN, you have that balance of business
and quality indicators on their website, an initiative sustainability and the passion to sincerely help those
not many hospitals do. Akmal Arief Mohamed Fauzi, in need.” — Th e Health Plus
Chief Operating Offi cer of IJN explains the value of
being JCI-accredited institution.
T
Getting accredited
“We have been accredited by JCI for 9 years now, since
2009. To have this accreditation, we assure that the
whole organization is compliant to a set of globally
accredited standard.”
And the accreditation doesn’t just look at patient
treatment alone. “It completely covers each aspect of
our daily operation relating to patient care and safety,
and it involves each and every single employee of the
organization, even the cleaners, security guards, and
other outsourced service providers.”
IJN is for all
IJN serves all with heart
condition, just make sure to bring
all the documents needed
HOSPITALS is where we seek treatment and
advice about our illness, and for IJN, they provide
treatment and advice for any heart-related condi-
tions. Yet some have claimed that IJN has been
somewhat unwelcoming to them. How so?
For government servants/offi cers, being admit-
ted to a public hospital is a very simple process. It
would only require an approved Guarantee Letter
(GL) from the employer, no payment needed.
Th ere is a misconception towards IJN in that some
believe it to be a public hospital. Th is has resulted
in some members of the public to experience
diffi culty in being admitted into IJN because they
do not possess suffi cient documentation.
IJN is actually a private hospital own by the
government since 1992. IJN do provide their
services to everyone, be it from the government
or private sector, however you do need to have suf-
fi cient documentation before you can be admitted.
Procedure is king
Below is the statement made by IJN regarding
their policy in admitting patients, be it with a
government or private letter/referral.
“We serve all categories of patients; according
to the payors’ policy on health coverage for their
employees and/or their dependents.
As a tertiary hospital, IJN accepts guarantee
letters (GL) from all government agencies –
federal, state and statutory bodies, private com-
panies as well as walk-ins patients.
Patients seeking treatment in IJN with
government referrals/GL or company GL should
refer to their respective human resources depart-
ments on the process as e very government
agencies and corporate companies has their own
policies on employees’ eligibility and coverage
when seeking treatment at IJN.”
One step ahead
Th e process for referred patients is stricter than
it is on the surface. Especially when it is being
referred from government hospitals.
“For referred patients, the hospital will usually
let us know ahead of time that the patient will
come. And we will usually request the hospital to
send us the referral letter beforehand. We will also
look out for patients who need guarantee letters
and ensure that they are updated,” Akmal says.
“Th erefore we will advise the patients of their
requirements before they come into IJN.” — Th e
Health Plus