As Poslovni writes, the Special Hospital Sveta Katarina is the first healthcare institution in Croatia to receive the prestigious “Gold Seal of Approval®” certificate from the world’s leading accreditation institution in the field of healthcare, the Joint Commission International (JCI). This opens the way for them to the American market, increases the competitiveness of the Croatian healthcare system, and can also serve as motivation for other players in medical tourism; they pointed out at a press conference in Sveta Katarina, which Minister of Tourism Nikolina Brnjac also attended.
As explained by Igor Borić, director of the Special Hospital Sveta Katarina, it became the first Croatian healthcare institution accredited by JCI. It is determined to work in accordance with the most demanding global healthcare standards, both in the provision of healthcare and in the area of patient safety, which includes prevention, early detection, elimination, and improvement of protection against unwanted events during the healthcare process. JCI accreditation represents the highest accreditation standard in healthcare; it is highly demanding, the evaluation process is multi-year, and it is held by the world’s leading healthcare institutions, including the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic.
All holders, including Sveta Katarina, receive their certificates for three years, followed by re-accreditation.
“This accreditation also means that all American citizens who use the services of our hospital will have the right to reimbursement from their American insurer, which is a significant step that many larger institutions in European countries do not dare to take, partly because it is public information if you do not pass the accreditation. This procedure involves many participants, effort, and investment. In it, we compare ourselves with the most successful in the world”, said Dragan Primorac, president of the hospital’s Administrative Council, pointing out that this accreditation opens the door for other institutions in Croatia to follow the same path.
Minister Nikolina Brnjac reminded us that medical tourism is an important component in the new tourism strategy and the project financing program from the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience. Jadranka Primorac confirmed that Sveta Katarina has projects that can compete for subsidies from NPOO.
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