New Delhi: Is J CI (Joint Commission International) passé in India? AACI, its competitor, calling shots in domain of accreditation in healthcare suggests as much. The dip in craze for once global leader is unmistakable, which is giving so- called poor cousin AACI a long rope to wrest from it its position of being numero uno .
As 2025 kicks in, AACI (American Accreditation Commission International) may have some fireworks in the works to make its senior American sibling from Isqua (International Society for Quality in healthcare) startle to sit up. It may have some more big shot corporate hospitals as its trophies to flaunt in ensuing year. Even the hospitals, which are currently its clientele, are enough to suggest that AACI has arrived and its stock is steadily rising. As accreditation is increasingly becoming indispensable in healthcare business, the war among accreditation companies to dominate the space is going to escalate.
Three Max Healthcare hospitals, KIMS Hyderabad, HGC hospital, KD hospital, Ahmedabad among 15 of its Indian clients speak volumes about AACI’s growing acceptance. Max Healthcare is one name which is a badge of honor on this relatively new big ticket American accreditation Company. This behemoth of hospitals is a big statement on the growing credibility of AACI. The other new biggies in the offing may in one fell swoop make it seem the most sought after mandate in India in times to come. To be precise, AACI is already in big league and has come of age in India poised to give JCI a run for its money. It seems that JCI being unwieldy in terms of cost and methodology is proving its undoing in India.
Dheeraj Khatore, CEO of AACI for India operations, is bullish about making AACI the most sought after seal of quality of care and safety of patients in India in times to come. It is quite noticeable that under the leadership of Mr Khatore AACI has so far put the best foot forward in this country.
In an exclusive interview to Dhananjay Kumar, on the sidelines of a CAHO (Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations) meet, which is a movement for making quality of care and patient safety a culture in hospitals beyond accreditation as mere embellishment, Mr Khatore, said, ‘ In India, I see a clear cut preference for AAIC among hospitals. AAIC’s USP makes us a cut above the rest. We have best standards and frameworks and we are not beneath even the best in the domain. As for price, we offer accreditation at one third of what the best of class charges. Our methodology is attuned to the emerging realities of healthcare today. We fiercely guard the quality of care that we inculcate in our client hospital. We also give certification for three years but we visit hospital every year to see whether the quality of care perpetuates or some dip has occurred due to laxity. This is exclusive to AACI, no other accreditation company does that.’
The speed with which AACI is roping in top notch hospitals in India seems symptomatic of the fact that Bigfoot JCI is losing sheen. The question is what might be amiss about JCI. JCI has 56 hospitals in its fold in 30 years of its operations in India while AACI has 15 eminent hospitals in just two years. The aim is to take it to 50 in next three years. It is quite obvious that at this rate AACI may in no time start leading the chart.
Mr Khatore, who is a veteran in healthcare accreditation process by virtue of being forged in the furnace of Abu Dhabi government’s strictest regimen for a hospital to open, added further, ‘Department of Health in Abu Dhabi (UAE) has very strong standards for allowing a hospital to open there. The fact that AAIC has groomed 6 hospitals to get a go ahead in Abu Dhabi speaks volumes about our credibility quotient.’
On the question where does AAIC stands vis a vis JCI, Mr Khatore says, ‘I would much rather talk about our attributes but it is a hard fact that I am often asked about comparison with JCI. I have this much to say that both of us derive standards from the same source that is Isqua but our methodologies are different and diametrically opposed to each other. Rest you can infer from our performances in India.’
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