Medical Tourism
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL
| Name | Quality Improvement Council, Australia |
|---|---|
| Type of organisation | Public |
| International or national | International |
| Period of validity | 3 years |
| Method of assessment | Self- assessment, external peer review, feedback, and taking action |
| Public communication | Transparent |
| Target groups | Patients and government |
| Price | Varies between sectors |
| Accredited by | ISQua |
| Participation | Voluntarily |
| Quality norm | Plan, do, check, act |
| Founders | - |
| Objective | Continuous quality improvement in healthcare facilities |
| Profit or non-profit based | Non-profit |
| Accredited institutions | Health and community services sectors |
| Special remarks | - |
The Quality Improvement Council (QIC) of Australia is responsible for the accreditations of hospitals. On May 10, 2010, QIC released its 6th edition of “Standards”, including all the standards healthcare institutions have to fulfil in order to obtain the QIC accreditation.
The “Standards” focus on management. Especially risk management and human resources management are topics considered, unlike in other hospital accreditation systems. Furthermore, future planning and strategy are part of the process with QIC. A healthcare institution has to be prepared for the future, not only in regard to financial issues but also concerning upcoming law changes and developing trends. QIC uses the “Plan, do, check, act” principle, which is an efficient tool for the examination phase.
Besides its own standards, QIC also uses standards established by other bodies. These bodies include, for example, the standards of the New Zealand Ministry of Health, the Victorian Department of Human Services and the Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services. For this reason, this accreditation system can be used in Australia as well as in other regions.