Editorial

HCPro ~ An Interview with Maureen Potter VP for International Services and Former Executive Director for Joint Commission International Accreditation

Editorial

After speaking on a panel session about “The Value of Accreditation”, Maureen Connors Potter, VP for International Services of HCPro and former executive director for international accreditation at the Joint Commission International shared with us HCPro’s perspective on Medical Tourism.  “One of the major challenges is to meet standards and to prepare for accreditation.  Many of these standards are related to patient safety, competencies and quality.  As consumers become more savvy about medical tourism, they will be looking for standards compliance systems in the US, UK, and Canada.”


HCPro has been working for several years to offer services and products to the international community; to global hospitals, so that they can prepare for accreditation, national and or international accreditation.  Potter tells us that their initial target area was Asia Pacific, then the Middle East and Central America.  They have also been approached by governments and Ministries of Health to evaluate standards accreditation programs.

HCPro main focus is on education and consulting. “We are known for our support of organizations so they are in compliance with regulations and standards.  We help hospitals qualify for accreditation and we are competitively priced,” says Potter.  “In essence, we are a resource for hospitals that consider or demonstrate a strong public commitment to accreditation.”  HCPro has an array of tools and resources in a variety of media.

According to Potter, “The emerging trend of Medical Tourism is in some way related to health care expenses, or limited access to services; such as those in Western Europe.  The world is flat; people identify resources through the internet; perspectives are based on areas they travel to and the confidence they have in those countries.  Some of it may be related to self insured or other population pockets.  For example, the Canadian system may have some limited access to specialty care, for technology and interventions.”

“The Korean government is organized around hospitals having identified areas of a specialty focus.  English fluency is not widespread; so attracting US Medical Tourists is somewhat challenging,” states Potter.  “That being said, they are very well organized with government support.”   Other countries have also worked with their governments.  For example, India coordinates very closely with their state governments, while Taiwan works with non-government organizations.  Coordination is developing in Central America, giving them great potential in the medical tourism industry.

As for this year’s Congress, “We were very pleased to participate as a speaker and panelist.  Based on the Congress program, it provided excellent content,” reports Potter. “For HCPro, we do see increased opportunities for accreditation preparation; helping organizations maintain and sustain accreditation.”

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