New Dubai system to rate healthcare facilities

Dubai - All healthcare facilities including public and private hospitals, daycare health centres will be rated.

By September, Dubai will roll out a system to rate healthcare facilities on the basis of their performance giving patients a chance to choose the best.
The facilities will be rated on five pillars with the top being patient safety which is based on the Dubai Patient Safety Index, clinical excellence, patient happiness as well as operational and financial aspects.
"Based on these outcomes, we will rate the facility which will give the patients a chance to select a value-based health system," said Ahmed Hamdan, Principal Clinical Quality Officer at Health Regulation Department at the authority.
All healthcare facilities including public and private hospitals, daycare health centres will be rated.
"We will track their performance based on international benchmarks and if the ratings fall, the provider will have to give an action plan on how it will improve," said Ahmed while explaining the system at the ongoing Arab Health Exhibition and Conference 2018.
The Qeyas project is part of a bigger IT roadmap being launched by DHA. Under its Hasana project, the health authority will create a unique immunization record for each individual in Dubai to improve preventative care.
Amani Al Jassmi, Director of Information Technology at the DHA said: "The initiative it will provide access to unified immunization records at any facility and will ensure availability of relevant data. It also enable the DHA to lay the foundation for the Population Health Management System which will be robust enough to manage and contain the spread of communicable diseases."
Al Jassmi said that the immunization management system will have a host of features such as immunization schedules and eligibility, immunization planning and management, adverse effects and mass immunization campaigns.
 It will help in outbreak management: prevention, monitoring, management and analysis of outbreak cases.  It will also help in investigation management: identification, investigation, and management of cases and contacts. It will help in tracking clinical data related to investigations, signs and symptoms, complications, outcomes, interventions, and treatment plans.
It will also provide a smart application to manage and administer school mass immunization campaigns.
"As a contributor to Smart cities initiative, DHA is working closely with Smart Dubai office to achieve Dubai's Unified strategy."
Some of those projects include: Sheryan System (Health Facilities & Medical Professionals Licensing).
"The new Sheryan programme will enable healthcare professionals and facilities operating in Dubai to better meet the health and wellness needs of a growing population with higher patient outcomes and delivery of care."
Another platform is the Health Information Exchange Portal. Al Jassmi, said: "DHA is planning on extending its platform to allow private facilities to share patient's health related information as per each patients consent in a more secured and efficient manner. This will help Dubai to achieve a unified health record for the emirate of Dubai. This will further enhance the efficiency and wellness needs of the growing population of Dubai along with higher patient outcomes and delivery of care."
"We are also working to revamp the existing Overseas Treatment System which supports every UAE citizen in providing necessary treatment locally and specialized treatment plans abroad."
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com