When crossing borders to obtain healthcare many patients are enticed by the cheaper price and the higher personal comfort that many healthcare facilities can offer. However, to find information about patient safety regulations and quality of the provider, consumers are compelled to do their own research.
As a help, there are several healthcare organizations that guide, inspect and educate healthcare providers to obtain and maintain the high standards of patient care and safety. One of the best symbols for this is International Accreditation.
Accreditation is a process of both internal and external evaluation used by healthcare organizations to accurately assess their level of performance in relation to established standards. It is important to remember that medical standards vary around the world, and the practice of international accreditation is fairly new.
To look for the provider’s international accreditation should be an important factor in the patient’s decision making. To make things more complicated for the patient there is not one single organization responsible for accrediting the providers and ensuring that their operating standards are wholly safe and ethical. However, with this in mind, there are several organizations that perform international accreditation.
Below is a list of the most common global accreditation organizations:
Joint Commission International (JCI), based in the U.S.
Australian Council for Healthcare Standards International (ACHSI), based in Australia
HealtCare Tourism International (HTC), based in the U.S.
The United Kingdom Accreditation Forum, based in the U.K.
The International Medical Travel Association, based in Singapore
Accreditation Canada, based in Canada
Several medical facilities also hold an ISO certification (International Organization for Standardization). However, ISO is not considered to be an international healtcare accreditation scheme.
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