JCI and Peking University
Collaborate on Patient Safety
and Education in China

New Institute to Advance Quality Improvement Efforts

(OAK BROOK, Illinois, USA –  March 10, 2009) Joint Commission International (JCI) and Peking University Health Science Center (PUHSC) announce the establishment of the Institute for Healthcare Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, on the campus of PUHSC. The collaborative effort draws upon PUHSC’s experience in Chinese medical education and research and JCI’s international accreditation standards and practical experience in patient safety, as well as quality improvement.

The Institute will serve as a national training center focused on raising the level of quality and patient safety in Chinese hospitals through training, education, research, publications and quality improvement activities. A priority of the Institute is the development of model training programs to translate international knowledge, Chinese research, and tools for quality into effective operational strategies for Chinese hospitals.  JCI’s accreditation standards will serve as a broad framework for the Institute’s training programs.

The work of the Institute will correspond to the relevant quality and patient safety strategies identified in a 2007 cooperative agreement between the Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China and JCI.  Those strategies included translation of JCI accreditation standards, tools to prevent and control the spread of infectious diseases, quality improvement addressing basic health care, as well as standards for HIV/AIDS care.

Co-directors of the Institute are Karen H. Timmons, president and CEO, Joint Commission International, and Professor Yang Ke, executive vice president, Peking University and Peking University Health Science Center.

“JCI is honored to partner with Peking University Health Science Center on this ambitious and admirable quest to improve health care throughout China,” says Timmons. “The work of the Institute has the potential to impact the lives of billions of China’s citizens and improve their future.”

“As the initial planning for the work of the Institute commences, we will keep our focus on the task of what is important, strengthening our health care workforce,” says Ke. “We are confident that the in-depth experience and reputation of JCI will help to guide our work down the path of success.”

The affiliate hospitals of PUHSC in Beijing, and other locations throughout China, will serve as the field sites for the Institute’s training program. Early research will be strategic and will address the future of quality health care in China.  Quality improvement training will address priority areas of concern in China including services to the elderly, chronic health conditions, rural health care, emergent infectious diseases and the management of quality as China continues to grow.