I have read some of Dr. Leonardo L. Leonidas’ past columns. They were all excellent. I was going to compare his latest article (“How safe is your hospital?” Opinion, 4/15/15) with another e-mail I received recently on the “Best hospitals in the world.” Together they could act as a consumer review of sorts for some e-groups.
After several high-level meetings on Philippine healthcare, I came to the conclusion, that a “translation” (term definitions at ground level) is necessary for everybody to be on the same page. This is particularly true when discussing healthcare issues with an international context (e.g., medical tourism, international third-party payers). On a purely local one, there’s no impetus to change, so no discussion is needed. The term “self-regulated” would not be too much of a stretch. Let me add, ethical standards in Philippine healthcare are set pretty high.
Leonidas avoided answering THE question: “How safe is your hospital?” Instead, he spelled out guidelines. Some are simple enough. Here’s the “translation”: Some guidelines are impossible to address (e.g., ALL the items he mentioned in possible malpractice issues). Therein is the dichotomy. In the United States, those guidelines are all operative. Over here, they are NOT.
Regarding ratings, all US hospitals must be certified by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (Jcaho). For commercial purposes, this nonprofit group devised a subsidiary for international consumption, the Joint Commission International (JCI). I believe four to five local hospitals have this JCI certification. Translation: The JCI certification should be regarded as a guideline “with a grain of salt.” One fundamental difference between the two levels of certification is the requirement for peer review. It is required by Jcaho standards.
Another difference, which is not too apparent, would be the byproducts of the malpractice factor—overdone in the United States (e.g., defensive medicine), none in the Philippines. Translation: They are on opposite sides of the spectrum!
So what’s the best hospital in the Philippines? Like Leonidas said, I don’t know!
—DR. ROBERTO BOOSH JIMENEZ, benedictlnd9@googlemail.com