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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2005

FEATURE

In Dubai, HMI helps to create a new kind of health care environment

The physical facilities of DHCC are rising in what was once an undeveloped expanse of desert.

In a half century, Dubai has been transformed from a modest coastal port dependent on the fishing and pearling trades into a global business hub characterized by postmodern architecture, far-reaching development initiatives, and an increasingly international population. One of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, Dubai has proved the ideal environment for a new standard-bearer to serve the health care needs of Dubai while forging connections with the rest of the Middle East.

From the beginning, HMI’s strategic collaboration with Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) has called upon the full range of HMI’s resourcefulness, and in three years’ time has inspired an explosion of new thinking about the development, governance, and continuous improvement of public health care infrastructures. The physical facilities of DHCC are rising in what was once an undeveloped expanse of desert. Yet the biggest challenge for HMI and DHCC has been to develop and implement the guiding principles and corresponding governance structures to ensure that the services provided in these new buildings are aligned with Dubai’s pursuit of global standards for health care excellence. In the past year the partners achieved a significant milestone by formally defining the rules and regulations governing Dubai Healthcare City.

Dinesh Patel (at center) with members of the team that helped to develop the quality and licensing infrastructure for DHCC.

The Center for Healthcare Planning & Quality (CPQ) was designed by HMI and DHCC to meet this challenge. Based in Dubai and staffed by experts in clinical quality and program development, CPQ is essentially the regulatory body for DHCC, and regulations and procedures defined by CPQ have been written into legislation approved by the Government of Dubai. This unique accomplishment provides Dubai Healthcare City with the authority to license health care providers to operate within DHCC, and provides the mechanisms enabling these providers to institute change processes, make measurable improvements, and, ultimately, meet international standards for high-quality care and patient safety.

“Having the ability to license health care providers to operate within DHCC provides CPQ with a way to implement quality improvement processes for each provider, depending on level of competence,” said Mehul Mehta, MBBS, MS, MA, vice president for business strategy and development at HMI. “The DHCC model is designed to assess quality on an ongoing basis, license physicians according to the environment’s benchmarks and processes, and thereby hopefully address problems before they arise.” He added that DHCC and HMI shared the goal of creating a governance system that, rather than being punitive, fostered a change-focused environment that rewarded success.

Mehul Mehta: “The DHCC model is designed to assess quality on an ongoing basis, license physicians according to the environment’s benchmarks and processes, and thereby hopefully address problems before they arise.”

The development of the licensing function for DHCC was carried out by a board chaired by Dinesh Patel, MD, assistant clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School. Patel, former chairperson of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine, collaborated with Arlene Asgard, RN, MSN, CPQ’s director of quality and credentialing; John Helfrick, DDS, MS, FACD, FICD, HMI senior consultant; and others to define the rules and regulations for DHCC. Patel emphasized that the governance system is designed to serve the needs of both patients and providers. “The basic concept behind the development of the rules and regulations is the goal of protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public, keeping in mind quality, access, and cost,” he said. “Through the establishment of standards and by creating a governance system that is fundamentally fair to everyone who wants to practice at Dubai Healthcare City, HMI and the Government of Dubai can make DHCC a true center of excellence for the healing arts.”

CPQ, under the direction of Ivo Janecka, MD, MBA, FACS, will continue to develop policies and procedures to ensure best practices and promote patient safety within DHCC. While much work lies ahead in Dubai, there are already a few indicators of the project’s impact, including an increased interest in accreditation among many health care organizations in the Gulf Region. Said Mehta, “The first thing that happens when doctors are offered a high-quality alternative is that standards are raised, bad processes are done away with, and the level of performance rises across the board."