Leadership Indexes
La Sabana's reputation as one of the best hospitals is supported by its high ranking among domestic and international listings of medical centers according to their services' quality and available resources. Colombia's Ministry of Education has acknowledged La Sabana among the country's top colleges, awarding the institution the 4th place for its academic achievements and Master's program. Magazines such as America Economia placed La Sabana at number 31 in their list of the best hospitals in Latin America.
"We have strategically directed our efforts into providing services within our own quality standards system," Ortiz said.
The hospital is certified by ICONTEC quality standards (Colombian Institute for Technical Regulations and Certification). This system provides a basis for La Sabana Medical Center's improvements in its business units: rehabilitation, emergencies, mobile practice, hospitalization, surgery and ICU.
La Sabana's quality standards are measured with the help of a Scorecard system, which is running permanently within hospital management models, delivering the most complete data previous to investments funds management according to the areas needing the most improvements.
The hospital was recently certified by CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) as the first health institution in Colombia qualified by this entity for services provided to patients with disabilities.
During 2015, doctors Martha Romero (Quality Control Manager), Luis Fernando Lopez (General Manager) and Ortiz were certified as Six Sigma Black Belt due to the hospital's improvement practices and for "achieving service quality and a compelling job."
Pacesetters for Medical Research
University of La Sabana Medical Center's Research Unit was conceived in 2012, and it is currently a stronghold as a business unit, certified for best clinical and research practices in their work with the pharmaceutical industry. Research laboratories opened in June 2013, focusing in six specialized categories: physiology, immunology, molecular biology, pathology, genetics and clinical pharmacology. The hospital's commitment to research for the long term is secured by investments in the biomedical area.
"The six in-house research labs we count on allow for our continual efforts to develop translational medicine research," the CEO mentioned.
Maintaining Atop Developments in the Field of Medicine
To maintain its personnel in contact with cutting-edge developments in hospital operations, University of La Sabana Medical Center regularly hosts seminars, congresses and other meetings. A rehabilitation and trauma congress is in the works, scheduled to happen during mid-2016.
Being an academic hospital, La Sabana also strives to certify all of its offered postgraduate studies, such as the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialty, taught in the college's Medicine Faculty, as well as its Physical Therapy undergraduate program, held at the institution's Rehabilitation and Nursing Faculty.
"We sustain our growth in the educational areas of medicine for high complexity specialties. We want to contribute to the formation of health professionals helping patients and achieving success in the research area," Ortiz expressed.
Avant-garde Technology for High Complexity Diseases
For La Sabana, medical innovation is not stopping at research, but rather includes the latest tech developments in the medicine field, constant infrastructure upgrades and updates, implementation of robotics and automation as well as any improvement in the rehabilitation field. Being in control and up to date in these areas are also a key factor keeping La Sabana among Colombia and Latin America's leading hospitals and rehabilitation facilities.
"The medical center's rehab unit is currently the best equipped in Colombia, our hydrotherapy and electrotherapy units are one-of-its-kind in our country, and we are introducing robotics into rehabilitation," the doctor remarked.
The hospitals' improvements include replacing old medical equipment in the radiology area. Some investments for 2016 will be destined to acquire a new CT and MRI machines as well as imaging equipment.
In late 2015 the new emergency unit will be ready to open; huge efforts in the marketing and PR fields are being performed to enhance this event and the hospital's new corporate identity.
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